Standardised systems of food production where food is brought into cities from far away is accompanied with high emissions from both production and transport. Simultaneously, food growing in the urban surroundings is not picked and left to rot. This thesis is concerned with urban foraging, the practice of picking edibles in the urban landscape, a practice often overlooked by research and policymakers. The case study area is Skarpnäck, southern Stockholm and the focus is specifically on foraging of fruit and berries from public vegetation. Using a qualitative mixed methods approach where a questionnaire was followed by interviews, the aim has been to assess how the practice is perceived in the case study area and if there are certain cultural norms that limit picking activities. Results suggest that foraging is perceived to be out of place in the urban area. Although some people do pick, others feel it is inappropriate and do not want to be seen picking fruit or berries and therefore limit picking. The thesis concludes that urban foraging has the potential to increase urban sustainability, but efforts are needed for foraging to be a culturally accepted practice.

Food production and food consumption have been shown to have a great impact on our ecosystem. Human beings have been exploiting the planet in order to feed themselves. This will have negative consequences for future life on the planet. Modern food production and consumption are among the main causes of natural resource exploitation and the problem is very likely to increase. Indeed, during the past thirty years, the global population has grown exponentially by almost one billion every decade, and it is still growing at the same pace. This demographic explosion means that dramatic shifts in the production and consumption of food will be required. Working with food is a great chance to achieve or at least lead towards a condition of recovering, understanding the world around us and managing our natural resourcesÅ. Increasing control and efficiency in food production and consumption cannot solve the problem. There is a much broader spectrum of causes contributing to the ecological decline. It is necessary to look beyond the technological and economic aspects. It is, therefore, necessary to focus on cultural and behavioural causes, promoting the involvement of local peopleÇ. With this in mind, this research explores the potential of urban foraging for generating social consciousness about ecological sustainability using design as method of intervention, and involving food consumers in the process of production and consumption of food in a more sustainable way. In order to do that, this research focuses on a small scale urban foraging project. In this case, by food, I refer to spontaneous food that grow in the natural urban environment of Växjö, and that can be used as a resource for citizens. In summary, this research aims to promote the involvement of local people and to support knowledge exchange in order to pursue socio-ecological sustainability. Engaging with more participants, the research gains the capacity of addressing complexity in a more coherent manner, and use its outcome as a usable resource for the local community that aims to promote its self-sustenance.

As cities globally experience rapid urbanization, the pressure on urban green areas increases and simultaneously opportunities for human-nature interactions decrease, which are crucial for urban citizens’ wellbeing. Urban foraging- the gathering of plant or fungal materials in urban areas- is a common human-nature interaction that has been inadequately studied and overlooked in urban policy, planning, and design. The objective of this thesis is to gain insights into the practices, motivations, and barriers of foragers in Järva City District and Stockholm County. Through an exploratory mixed methodology approach, this study demonstrated that urban foraging is perceived as a recreational activity that motivates people to get out in nature and connects them to biodiversity in forests and parks within the city. Foraging links people to high quality and local food and encourages the sharing of local ecological knowledge. Foragers investigated display care for nature, indicating that foraging can nurture a bond between nature and urban citizens. The expressed barriers to foraging were time, proximity, lack of knowledge, and fear of pollution. The findings show that foraging provides various benefits for citizens in Stockholm County and Järva City District, implying that urban foraging should not be overlooked in future research and assessments, and should be considered and incorporated into urban policy, planning, and design. / Green Access