Spring 2016 - 60120 - PA680PB - Policy Research Project

Food for All: A PRP for Inclusive Food Policy in Austin

Local food policy has been celebrated as a way to solve a range of public policy problems, from economic development to environmental improvement to public health. Local food policy has, however, also been criticized for being exclusionary, primarily reflecting elite concerns. Our client, the City of Austin's Food Policy Manager, based in the Office of Sustainability, is now engaged in a Neighborhood Food Planning Process with a goal of developing Austin's first Food System Strategic Plan.  The first year of this PRP will identify ways to support inclusivity in Austin's Food System Strategic Plan. To do so, students will, first, identify and synthesize lessons learned from cities in the US and beyond around how to create and foster an environment in which bold citizen-driven transformations in the food system can happen. Second, students will work closely with City of Austin residents, civil society actors, local policymakers, and government officials to generate a tailored set of inclusive policy recommendations that are appropriate to Austin's unique context. Future years' topics for the PRP will be driven both by the City's demands, and those of the City's residents as revealed in the first year's work.