Urban food–energy–water systems: past, current, and future research trajectories

Abstract

With cities producing 80% of global GDP and housing more than half of the world's population (United Nations Human Settlements Programme UN-Habitat 2016, p. 264), urban processes now drive global flows of food, energy, and water, causing unprecedented disruptions to the planet's biogeochemical cycles. The procurement of food, energy, and water (FEW) often occurs outside urban boundaries, leading to geographic and sectoral interactions from local to global scales. These unforeseen and complex interactions degrade air and water quality, drive resource use, and exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). FEWprovisioning systems also have profound impacts on the economy and on human health and well-being. The linkages between the systems that supply FEW to cities and the outcomes related to human and planetary well-being are the focus of this special issue.The issue consists of nine articles, each of which presents emerging research on interconnected FEW systems as they relate to cities and regions. The papers are interdisciplinary, multiscalar, and cross-sectoral as they consider the effects of FEW interactions on the health of cities, their inhabitants, and the distant peoples and places from which they source their resources. As a set, including this introduction, the special issue covers the following topics: 1. Research to date on urban FEW systems and promising approaches 2. Urban agriculture and energy-water dynamics 3. Conventional agriculture and FEW dynamics 4. The energy foodprint of the American diet 5. Key areas for future researchIn the pages that follow, we briefly summarize each of the articles in this special issue, clustering them by topical areas. We conclude by identifying what we view as crucial research gaps needing further studies in the realm of urban FEW systems.

A systematic review of social equity in FEWS analyses

“…Context-specific (place-based) studies are of particular value and can inform sound decision-making across FEWS (White et al, 2017). Framing FEWS equity findings in terms of governance is a pathway toward practical analyses (Newell and Ramaswami, 2020). Food systems were the only focus area where an evaluation of city plans or selfassessments from food policy councils were used as proxies to assess the food system without validation to confirm their impacts (Calancie et al, 2018;Mui et al, 2020).…”

“…FEWS relationships have been well studied in many complex contexts, such as the relationship between food production and water use, as well as the interdependencies between energy demand and climate change impacts on food and water resources (Kaddoura and El Khatib, 2017). However, even with the growing body of literature, few studies incorporating social elements have emerged, and strategies for integrating the FEWS framework with social contexts remain scarce (Newell and Ramaswami, 2020).…”

“…Understanding FEWS interactions from a sustainable system perspective while integrating social and economic factors is vital in the face of new and increasingly complex societal risks (White et al, 2017). Yet work by Newell and Ramaswami (2020) highlighted the lack of social equity and justice research relative to FEWS resource allocation, access, and affordability. To better account for these concepts, Proctor et al (2021) demonstrated the need to integrate social science into quantitative FEWS analyses to understand power and equity dynamics that help to shape decision-making.…”

Appraising the Water‐Energy‐Food Nexus From a Sustainable Development Perspective: A Maturing Paradigm?

“…Indeed, the strong telecoupling of nexus resource flows from surrounding hinterlands serves as the lifeblood that sustains urban development (P. Zhang et al., 2019). Delhi, India, where 90% of food, 76% of energy, and 86% of water are derived from transboundary sources, is a case in point (Newell & Ramaswami, 2020). At the same time, nexus interdependencies heighten risks for generalized disruptions.…”

“…By incorporating material flows and waste into the classic nexus trinity, the urban nexus attempts to improve links between urban planning and the development of a circular economy (Lehmann, 2018). The urban nexus also allows for a more nuanced appreciation of resilient institutional arrangements to encourage social cohesion, stability, good governance, justice, and equality (Schlör, Venghaus, & Hake, 2018), and incorporate health and wellbeing related to “liveable” and “inclusive cities,” as highlighted by the World Health Organization's “Healthy Cities Initiative” (Newell & Ramaswami, 2020; Ramaswami, 2020).…”