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| The model as a result of the essay (roof is kept open to be able to look into the interior) |
While summarizing and translating the last part of the essay Food as energizer for the public domain I realized I have learned a lot in the past few years. I wrote the essay when I was studying architecture. I just started my two year Master and decided I wanted to design a new building on a plot on the current Food Center in Amsterdam. The area used to be the location where products of farmers working and living close to Amsterdam were collected and distributed from.
Nowadays the area still functions as a Food Center but sales are only done by wholesalers to people owning a restaurant, a hotel or a (small) supermarket. It is a huge area in the middle of the historic centre of the city and a residential area closed off to the public. The Amsterdam municipality is discussing to develop the area in the nearby future.
The residential area used to be inhabited by immigrants, people with lower education levels and people having a low income. Research showed me that exactly those people have the risk to choose for cheap and unhealthy food and become overweight. The combination of these facts and the location convinced me to make a building in which food has an important role. The model of my design shows a market hall in which there is room for educational spaces as well. To me this could be an example in which food has a major role in creating public domain.
While working again on this essay after three years I realized I have learned a lot about food in the widest sense of its definition. I now doubt some assumptions I have made while writing the essay. I learned the assortment of supermarkets nowadays only seems to be very broad. In fact the consumer might have a smaller range to choose from than our ancestors had a hundred years ago. I now know some suppositions I have done in 2008 are not as easy as they then seemed to be. It seems easy to just change the products on sale on certain spots from unhealthy to healthy snacks. But entrepreneurs as well as clients cannot change overnight. It takes time and time only begin when someone starts to set in changes.
The research I have done to write this essay was the moment I started to realize something needed to change. I got completely enthusiastic about food, its relation to people and to cities and the rural. Slowly my bookcase started to need space for books on the subject. Books going from from Carolyn Steels ‘ Hungry City (which is very close related to my education) going to The truth abouth food by Jill Fullerton-Smith(which is a more technical approach to food)and everything in between and behind these two.
After some years I learned a lot but still need to learn a lot more. A lot of books needs to be read, films and documentaries need to be seen and people need to be discussed with. This blog enables me to share the inspiration I find in this subject again and again. I hope you are open to receive it and also realize we need to find a new role for food in our daily life. If you do get active and start today to enjoy and value the real food!
See you this Sunday for the last part called Food market(ing).
