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An Examination of Planning in the Central Puget Sound Region

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An Examination of Planning in the Central Puget Sound Region Fostering Food Systems Transformation? An Examination of Planning in the Central Puget Sound Region Megan Horst Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2015 Reading Committee: Branden Born, Chair Mark Purcell Clare Ryan Brad Gaolach Program Authorized to offer Degree: Interdisciplinary Urban Design and Planning 2 FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING Copyright © 2015 Megan Horst University of Washington ! ! ! FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING 3 Abstract My two primary research questions were: How and to what extent does planning in the Central Puget Sound Region address food systems issues? and What is the relationship of food systems planning to food sovereignty? I conducted a qualitative evaluation of planning practice in the Central Puget Sound region. Specifically, I examined 58 comprehensive plans, the Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council, and the City of Seattle’s food systems efforts. My data collection tools included document analysis, meeting observation, and interviews. The first main finding of this dissertation is that planning is paying increasing, yet still incomplete attention to food systems issues. Among comprehensive plans, many food systems issues are not well addressed. At the Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council and City of Seattle, there is evidence of increased capacity for food governance, particularly in terms of staff support, integration into regulatory and legal frameworks, and the formation of joint-actor partnerships and networks. However, food does not yet have a strong mandate, adequate resources, full buy-in from leadership and staff, or engagement from citizens particularly those from traditionally marginalized communities. The ability of local government to intervene and affect food systems change is questionable. Second, planning practice is not strongly aligned with food sovereignty. In their practice, planners pay attention to some aspects of food sovereignty but do not give full attention to the six rich and multi-faceted principles of food sovereignty. Among the three units of analysis, there is a lack of attention to important aspects of food sovereignty including the right to food, access to farmland by small-scale and diverse farmers, good working conditions for all food systems workers, the full spectrum of relocalized food systems activities, community ownership and decision-making, and agro-ecological production practices. ! ! ! 4 FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING I identify several contributions of my work. First, I provide one possible resolution about the ongoing debate about whether government can play a role in food sovereignty. I suggest that planners can engage in radical incrementalism, by adopting a values-explicit approach to food systems change. I also propose clear direction for planners to support food sovereignty in urban areas in the United States. Keywords: food policy council, food sovereignty, food systems planning, urban food governance ! ! ! FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING 5 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9 Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................................... 9 Research Questions .............................................................................................................................. 10 Significance of the Problem ................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 11 Neoliberalism and the Corporate Food Regime .................................................................................. 11 Food Sovereignty ................................................................................................................................. 13 Challenges and Contradictions of Food Sovereignty .......................................................................... 27 Planning and Food Sovereignty ........................................................................................................... 30 Chapter Two: Background About the Central Puget Sound Region ....................................................... 33 Background on Comprehensive Plans ................................................................................................. 35 Chapter Three: Methods .......................................................................................................................... 44 Data Collection .................................................................................................................................... 45 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 49 Limitations ........................................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter Four: Findings ............................................................................................................................ 59 Question One: How, and to what extent, is food systems planning practiced? ................................... 59 Question Two: What is the Relationship between Planning and Food Sovereignty? ....................... 114 Chapter Five: Conclusions, Contributions, and Future Research ......................................................... 167 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................ 167 Contributions ..................................................................................................................................... 173 Future Research ................................................................................................................................. 177 Appendix A: Interview Guide ............................................................................................................... 178 Appendix B: Coding Dictionary, Question One, Comprehensive Plans ............................................... 179 Appendix C: Coding Dictionary, Question One, Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council and City of Seattle .................................................................................................................................................... 180 Appendix D: Coding Dictionary, Question Two ................................................................................... 181 Appendix E: Coding Example, Question #1 and #2, City of SeaTac Comprehensive Plan ................. 184 Appendix F: Coding Example, Question #1, Excerpt of Interview…………………………...……... 185 Appendix G: Coding Example, Question #2, Seattle Food Action Plan, Excerpt from Page 13 ......... 187 References ............................................................................................................................................. 189 Vita……………………………………………………………………………………………………..197 ! ! ! 6 FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING Figures Figure 1: Map of Central Puget Sound Region………………………………………………………..…..34 Figure 2: Number of Policies by County .................................................................................................... 59! Figure 3: Number of Policies by Large-Sized Cities (population > 1 million) ........................................... 60! Figure 4: Number of Policies by Medium-Sized Cities (population 15,000-100,000) ............................... 60! Figure 5: Number of Policies by Small Town/City (population under 15,000) ......................................... 61! Figure 6: Policies, by Food Systems Topics ............................................................................................... 64! Tables Table 1: Spectrum of Food Systems Orientations ...................................................................................... 14! Table 2: Puget Sound Regional Council’s Impact on Food Governance Capacity post 2010 .................... 65! Table 3: Seattle’s Urban Food Governance Capacity ………………………………………............. 91 ! ! ! FOSTERING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION: AN EXAMINATION OF PLANNING 7 Acknowledgements This dissertation could not have been completed without the great support that I have received from so many people over the years. I wish to offer my most heartfelt thanks to the following people: To my advisor, Branden Born for encouraging me to bring my two career interests- food systems transformation and urban planning- together, for simultaneously both challenging and supporting me, and for mentoring me in all aspects of academic life; To my other Reading Committee members, including Mark Purcell for inspiring me to critically question the State and to write about one thing well rather than try to write about everything
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