ABSTRACT
Ecofriendly Farmsystems (ECF) in Berlin offers an example of an alternative food chain operation impacting different dimensions of sustainability. This aquaponic urban farm breeds perch and grows basil in an increasingly closed-loop production system in the Berlin city centre. Applying the Urbal approach to the innovations of the ECF Farm provides insights into a range of environmental and socio-economic considerations surrounding scalability as well as the obstacles encountered during the development phase of the venture, specifically for businesses working in the field of food production in urban areas. Furthermore, we explore the “inside–outside” dynamics at play in a particular sector of the food system, as the productive space influences and is influenced by distribution and logistics spaces outside of Berlin’s city centre.
This chapter explores how technical innovation in urban food systems can be broadened to address the social dimensions of sustainability in addition to environmental and economic considerations, as part of a more holistic approach to sustainability. Since the Urbal approach was designed to enable stakeholders to consider multiple dimensions of sustainability concurrently, the case of ECF helps to test and develop a more comprehensive sustainability assessment framework for urban food system innovations.
