Cultivating Connections: The Role of Planning in Chittenden County's Local Food Movement

Overgaard, Catherine

10. term

Master in Urban Planning & Management

2008

2008-06-04

79 pages

The primary objecti ve of this paper is to defi ne the current relationship between planning and local food movements and to understand how each could benefi t from further integration. In recent decades, social movement theory has undergone minor restructuring, while planning theory has largely transformed, abandoning the traditional rational approach in favor of theories which demand a wider knowledge base. It is argued that the incorporation of this new knowledge, highlighted through the development of new planning roles, has created a new space in which planning and social movements have found common ground. Theory that supports this idea forms the basis for the analysis which is structured around four potential forms for interaction between planning and social movements. To test this theory, a case study was conducted in Chittenden County, Vermont where there is an established planning system and a developing local food movement. What is discovered is that while there are signs of interaction among planners and the local food movement actors, interaction on the whole is limited. However there are indicators that suggest potential for the relationship between planning and the local food movement to develop further, benefiting both entities. The paper concludes by considering ways in which interaction could be further cultivated.

Food systems ; Regional Planning ; Collaboration

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