Edible City—A New Approach for Upscaling Local Food Supply? The Case of Andernach, Germany

Abstract

Cities are facing various societal challenges calling for nature-based solutions providing multidimensional benefits to nature and urban residents. Urban and peri-urban agriculture can be considered one of such solutions contributing to urban resilience, ecosystem services and quality of life in cities. In order to upscale urban food supply and its related benefits, the concept of edible cities (referring to the use of public urban green spaces for the cost-free provision of food) gains importance in research and urban planning. This chapter presents the German frontrunner Andernach, one of the first edible cities in Germany to help understand the implementation of edible cities and their potential benefits. Interviews with major initiators of the concept showed that the edible city stands out for its multifunctional social, ecological and economic benefits addressing various urban challenges such as food security, biodiversity or social cohesion. The edible city of Andernach was implemented by the city government without a concept but by practical learning and driven by the demand to re-connect urban residents to nature and food. However, further efforts are needed that edible cities are not only “nice to have” but that urban food supply becomes a fixed task for city administration and urban policy.