Lutkemeer: an epic struggle for food commoning and post-growth land use

The Lutkemeerpolder emerges as a site of ideological struggle between two blocks of actors. One seeks to redevelop the polder for business, economic vitality and jobs whereas the other envisions the space as a site of conservation for biodiversity and regenerative community-based agriculture. In this conversation, Dr. Federico Savini will trace this clash of values around the Lutkemeerpolder historically and propose degrowth as a guiding ideology, expressed in coalitions and movements for demanding socio-ecological practices and (new/alternative) institutions.

In the second half of the program, a panel discussion with Dr. Arnold van der Valk, Iris Poels and Dr. Federico Savini will build on the evolution of ideology into practice reflecting on how contestation and resistance birth movements. Panelists will reflect on the implications for Amsterdam's future and the city's socio-ecological ambitions in the broader context.

About:

Speaker

Dr. Federico Savini is an associate professor of environmental planning, institutions, and politics at the University of Amsterdam. He combines approaches of political sociology, urban planning and critical geography to the study of institutions and socio-spatial change in cities. In his works, he studies the politics that drive institutional change, focusing on the different sets of regulations that shape the working of city regions and their ecological impact on the planet. He uses a degrowth perspective on spatial planning and is the scientific coordinator of the ‘postgrowth city coalition’.

Panelists

Dr. Arnold van der valk is an Emeritus professor of land use planning at Wageningen University. He is currently involved in the practice of food policy and urban agriculture in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. He is a co-founder of Food Council MRA, and a part of Stichting Voedsel Verbindt, Van Amsterdamse Bodem, the food council for the municipality of Amsterdam and the platform Samenwerking Stadslandbouw Amsterdam. He spends a large part of his time as a volunteer and board member of the Voedseltuin IJplein in Amsterdam where vegetables and herbs are grown for the food bank in Amsterdam-Noord.

Iris Poels is the climate mayor of Amsterdam and has been an active part of Voedselpark Amsterdam, where she organizes various activities, such as monthly walks, workshops and film nights. These events focus on strengthening the ecosystems and making sustainable choices. In addition, she is an entrepreneur, involved in various projects related to the living environment

Moderator

Shefali Bharati is a recent graduate in Research Masters in Urban Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Her thesis explored degrowth values in urban food production through a comparative case study in Amsterdam and Seoul. She is currently associated with the Urban Cycling Institute as a Communications Officer and volunteers with Food Council.

To know more about Food Council MRA's work, visit: https://www.foodcouncilmra.nl/

Host or Publisher Food Council MRA