A fundamental need of human culture is to eat, and therefore to have food available to its citizens. Unfortunately, agricultural and distribution practices have reduced many communities to "food deserts" where healthy, fulfilling food is scarce (Walker, 2012). Present agricultural methods that evolved from the Industrial Revolution consume copious amounts of fossil fuels from planting to shipping operations, only to generate interminable amounts of unhealthy processed foods. Current industrial farming methods used have had unintended consequences on public health, local economies, and substantial negative impacts of the earth's ecosystems (Despommier, 2010). Many agree that present food distribution channels and farm-to-fork methods require an overhaul in order to preserve limited natural resources for future generations. The future may be the concept of the urban farm. Food distribution channels and procedures are central to the success of this new idea and therefore serve as the main focus of this study. With an effective distribution process, harvested food from vertical farms allows opportunities for food related stakeholders to invest their business operations within the facility's campus and continue to thrive and serve their customers. The purpose of the study was to discover how the built environment could support a new food distribution system that increases access to healthy food. In the first phase, the study examined the yearly baseline amount of vegetables necessary to feed approximately 10,000 residents located within .5 miles (walking distance) and one mile of the project's hypothetical location. Using USDA daily recommendation guidelines, the researcher found that the hypothetical urban farm could produce food for 940 of the 10,000 people per year in the study area by farming ten floors at 6885 square feet each on a 365-day cycle. In addition, she discovered that 700 of the 10,000 people living in that area were considered Low Income (LI) and Low Access (LA) by the USDA, meaning that they faced economic challenges coupled with transportation hardships in getting to the nearest supermarket. Therefore, the researcher proposed that the vertical farm could potentially produce at least enough food to fulfill the needs of the most vulnerable population, those considered Low Income (LI) and Low Access (LA) by the USDA Food Access Research Locator (2012). Second, the study examined the forces at play that would affect a successful urban food distribution system. Hypothetical food stakeholders were queried through a pre-questionnaire, a design charrette, and a post-questionnaire to determine how the workflow efficiencies of an urban food hub would be most effectively designed to provide success for its stakeholders' businesses. These hypothetical stakeholders included farmers, a restaurateur, farmers' market managers, grocery store representatives, and community food related advocates. The research questions were filtered through the framework of four of Peña and Parshall's concepts from Problem Seeking, An Architectural Primer, (2001), specifically 1) Priority, 2) Relationships, 3) Communications, and 4) Neighbors. Some of the major emergent themes that resulted from the research component of this thesis were as follows: * Food brokers are necessary for small, local farmers and were missing presently from local food distribution channels; * The educational component in teaching both children and adults about healthy food preparation was critical in combatting some of the problems associated with food challenges; and, * Public perception of a vertical farm and urban food hub would drive its type of users. With this information, the researcher knew that it was important to address these themes in the design process. The ultimate goal of the vertical farm and urban food hub was to make it successful for its food stakeholders while being inclusive to all members of the community, regardless of economic status. With that information, a solution was devised that included the renovation of two existing buildings. The first was a multi-story, 100,000 square foot, hexadecagon structure where the lower floor became a Market, a Food Broker's Office, and a Seed Library. The first floor was made into the Eatery with an exterior K-12 Teaching Garden. The second floor was designated as administrative support, facilities operations, and a plant nursery. In addition, the third through twelfth floors became the growing space for the vertical farm that supported these distribution outlets. Parking area on the site was allotted as space for a recurring farmers' market. The second building, a one-story 5000 square foot structure became a Shared-Use Kitchen for start-up food entrepreneurs to launch their food businesses. This building also included area for a Studio Teaching Kitchen that the general public could attend cooking demonstrations. This study found that the success of a new food distribution system is dependent in part on the physical architecture that supports its new needs in an economically viable way for these vendors and their consumers. Planning spaces for growing food, in addition to the supporting areas that facilitate its distribution, provided options in progressing toward a more sustainable future. These measures can then address challenges that range from obesity and malnutrition to environmental preservation. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of Fine Arts. / Summer Semester, 2014. / July 9, 2014. / Agri-Tecture, Community Food Systems, Food Channel Distribution, Food Deserts, Urban Farming, Vertical Farming / Includes bibliographical references. / Jill Pable, Professor Directing Thesis; Marlo Ransdell, Committee Member; Steven Webber, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_254494 |
| Contributors | Robinson, Kelley G. (authoraut), Pable, Jill (professor directing thesis), Ransdell, Marlo (committee member), Webber, Steven (committee member), Department of Interior Design (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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