Jamie Pottern ’12 and Christina Gibson ’12 with Brooke Redmond (Founding Executive Director, Farm-Based Education Association, at left) and Gabrielle White (Concord’s Public Health Inspector, at right) following a presentation of their project.
The town of Concord, Massachusetts, is in the process of reviving a local food network to improve social, ecological, and economic resilience in the community. This community food system assessment analyzes the existing land use and food production patterns, food distribution models, processing and storage capacities, preparation and consumption patterns, and food waste management practices. Informed by community input, local case studies, and food systems research, this report offers suggestions that stakeholders in Concord and surrounding towns could use to bolster local food systems. This study assesses the early phases of Concord’s long-term process towards greater food resilience, and highlights Concord’s opportunities to boost its participation in the regional effort to produce more healthy food locally, protect farmland and natural resources, and increase community connections around food.
The American Planning Association – Massachusetts Chapter (APA-MA) Awards Committee selected this project to receive a Student Project Award for an outstanding planning project in 2012.
APA-MA’s awards program is “the state’s highest honor for planning professionals.” It was “established years ago to recognize outstanding comprehensive plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues. These efforts help create communities and neighborhoods of lasting value throughout Massachusetts.”
For more information, see Conducting a Food System Assessment in Your Town: Lessons from Concord, Massachusetts by Jamie Pottern, which originally appeared in a NOFA/Massachusetts newsletter.