Weaving the urban-territorial fabric to build more resilient European territories

The ongoing tension between the production of food and energy reflects the conflicts related to land use competition as both food and energy require large amounts of land. Striking a balance between the two is instrumental in responding to external stresses on land. Reweaving urban-territorial linkages can help achieve long-term targets to achieve climate resilience. Current crises also reaffirm the EU’s commitment to tackle climate change through the REPowerEU which seeks to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels. However, as the energy system’s capacity to react is rather limited, the most realistic short-term trajectory is to achieve energy savings with behavioural changes. 

In light of the ongoing crises, adopting the ‘’food system framework’’ would be beneficial to better anticipate external stresses and enhance crisis preparedness. This framework looks into food availability, access, utilisation, and stability over time. Providing a better understanding of the impacts of shocks on the food system is conducive to developing more sustainable policies. However, the food system framework approach requires extensive data collection (i.e. mapping) which is still lacking nowadays.  

The current food system is arguably unsustainable as issues related to equity and social justice remain insufficiently addressed in policies. This calls for societal changes at all levels of government. Food is also seen as a powerful vehicle for change that would benefit from enhanced rural-urban linkages and innovative governmental experiments transcending administrative boundaries.