This thesis seeks to explore the impact that architecture can have on peoples' relationship with food. The industrialization of American society over the past two centuries has distance people from the source of their food; this distance has significantly contributed to an overall decreased in American health. The concept of this thesis is that architecture can have a positive impact on peoples' relationship with food and thereby help improve the health of a community. I chose a site on the outskirts of Glens Falls, New York to locate my project, the Glens Falls Good Foods Collective. This site is ideal for bringing people and food together as a few miles to the West lays the city center, while abundant farmlands fan out toward the East. The Collective combines small-scale food processing facilities for farmers with a market place for consumers. Providing an environment in which these ever-distancing demographics can interact would help reduce the gap between people and food. The goal of this thesis is to design a building that fosters a meaningful and productive connection to food by bringing people closer to its source.

Food hubs have been discussed as a promising option for scaling-up the local food system while maintaining close relationships and shared responsibility amongst producers and consumers. Food hubs have the capacity to share important messages about food safety, origin, and production methods with consumers, however little is known about if, and how, food hubs communicate the value of local food to their buyers. This is crucial when assuring value to the consumer, which is necessary for the long-term sustainability of the food hub model. It is important to know more about these methods and practices because these messages can impact the long-term viability of food hubs and local agriculture, as well as community health and economic stability. This thesis explores the motivation behind why buyers chose to buy through food hubs, what information provided by food hubs is useful in marketing and selling local products, and how buyers allocate their money and their time that allows them to efficiently purchase local products. A mixed methods approach was used to gather data. Qualitative research methods were used in conducting semi-structured interviews with key informants. Interview questions focused on local food marketing strategies and practices, motivations for buying local, consumer behavior, firmographic characteristics, communication, challenges, opportunities, and relationships. In addition, data was collected through an online survey that followed the same themes. These themes were identified through a review of alternative food network literature, which identified gaps in knowledge on the buyer-side of the food hub value chain. The themes that emerged from these semi-structured interviews and online survey have been used to better understand buyer motivations for purchasing local food through food hubs, how buyers make use of the information, services, and marketing material provided by food hubs, and what strategies buyers use to integrate local food purchasing efficiently into their budget.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans with widespread flooding and infrastructural damage. The Lower Ninth Ward has since experienced a slow recovery from the catastrophic flooding it endured. Among the various physical, social, and economic challenges still facing the neighbourhood, this thesis identifies the community’s subsequent social disintegration following Katrina, and its continuing challenged access to nutritious food as primary arguments for a food hub co-operative in the center of the neighbourhood. The power of the co-operative lies in the collectivization of social, physical, and financial assets of the currently fractured community. The food “hub” then becomes the heart of the neighborhood, facilitating social ownership, renewed purpose and responsibility, and financial empowerment. At an urban scale the centrally located food hub anchors an expansive food network, enabling a city ward currently devoid of collective means to get back on its feet.