Food and Planning

FOOD
The US food culture is very ingrained into most Americans.  From the minute we wake up and flip on the morning news, and witness commercials about James Dean breakfasts, to our afternoon study sessions at cafes, to our evening tv programs, with commercials about frozen appetizers and instant side-dishes, we are surrounded with food.  In most cases, however, the food being pushed our direction is both unhealthy and highly processed food that covered great distances to get to our mouths.

Roberts discussed how factory farms are being redesigned to imitate the mass-production scheme of factories.  Also, farmers are being pushed into a "technology treadmill" complete with the latest and most pollutant technologies that produce a greater crop-yield at a high cost to the environment and their pocket-book.  However, if they stop to examine the costs, they might risk being run out of business by their neighbors who purchased these machines and pesticides.  We have become, through these farming technologies and the distance from the farmer to the grocery store (with all the stops in between) a petroleum-fueled economy, with agriculture consuming the most in both fuel and water resources.

Further, Roberts points out that we have not developed new technology that drastically changes (and updates) the agriculture economy, both in terms of crops and animals.  The future of agriculture could rest on the shoulders of ancient and diverse agriculture systems, but we seem to not want to take that risk.  Instead, we continue to push non-sustainable food systems that are draining our natural resources and the environment.  In addition, "local" and "sustainable" food adds extra costs to customers that most won't be able to pay.

As the Wren article points out, the climate has always been an important factor in agriculture.  Plants are limited by temperature, seasonality, moisture and soil quality.  In addition, the Lobell article highlights sensitive regions across the globe that might be unable to produce crops if not assisted, given that they are risky places to grow crops.  With the increase in droughts and climate changes, the marginalized places will become more marginalized.

PLANNING
Campbell's article highlights the role that planners play in sustaining the environment.  They try to solve both environmental and economic injustices through their building projects.  Instead, they seem to head toward vague sustainability ideals with no planning for true inequalities or economic injustice.  Planners also struggle to coordinate property, resource, and development angles into their planning schemes.  Frequently, low-income areas have to decide whether to value their economic survival or the safety of their health/environment.  As a result, they often settle for short-term economic benefits, which will negatively impact their overall health for years to come.  Therefore, Campbell argues for a redistribution of the wealth allotted to the financially secure individuals, who get to pick their poisons and not settle for the negative health consequences, to insure the survival of lower income populations and neighborhoods.