Food
The study of food systems, agriculture, and food justice intersects with urban policy and planning in myriad ways. Not only is food needed for survival, but it also brings communities, cultures and individuals together, it is a force of social and climate resilience, and it dramatically affects land use worldwide. At UEP, we approach food studies through an intersectional lens through coursework, Field Projects, faculty research, and theses. We explore the connections between food production and supply and themes such as urban agriculture, labor, sustainable agriculture, food system planning, and food policy. With the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy just across the river in downtown Boston, students also have the opportunity to focus their studies more specifically on Agriculture, Food and Environment (AFE) or Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs (FANP) through our dual degree program.
Related Programs
Featured Courses
| Course | Course Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| UEP 0285-01 | Food Justice: Critical Approaches in Policy and Planning | Agyeman |
| UEP 0224-01/PH 0288-01 | Public Health and the Built Environment | Davis |
| UEP 0194-AA | Sustainability and the Food Industry | Guillemin |
| UEP 0223-01 | Fundamentals of U.S. Agriculture | Blackstone |
Featured Faculty
Featured Alumni
Field Project & Thesis Examples
- Collaborative Planning for Local Food Systems: Municipal Priorities in Action
- Urban Farming in Boston: A Survey of Opportunities
- Soil in the City
- Impacts of Land Use Change and Export Agriculture on Guatemalan Food Security (John VanderHeide)
- An Assessment of the Massachusetts Commercial Food Waste Ban: Implementation and Effectiveness Three Years into the Ban (Alexandra Raczka)
- Boston's Emerging Solidarity Food Economy - Lessons in Transformative Change (Hannah Sobel)
- Regional Self-Reliance and Food Security: A food systems modeling case study in the Department of La Paz, Bolivia. (Caitlin Matthews)