Encouraging healthy, sustainable food behaviours in Copenhagen

Translating global food systems science to city contexts

With Copenhagen as it’s prototype, this 3 year project researched how food system’s targets can be operationalised at the city scale. Responsible for one of four project stages, Gehl led the research and design of ‘Foodscapes’ pilot programmes and prototypes aimed at influencing the food habits and choices of young people in the neighbourhoods and streets they naturally visit on a day to day basis. 

With young people often the ones consuming food in public spaces, typically more likely to alter their eating habits, and in many ways, often overlooked in terms of urban public space design, they were selected as the target group for this research. Based on detailed public space and public life analysis, interviews and workshops, Gehl identified two strategic locations where prototype urban features present different food choices to young people, and other visitors, over a four week period. The installations altered the quality and programming of the public spaces such as the seating available, the density and affordability of food options and the signals those food places send. 

The project confirmed that there was a close relationship between the design of public spaces, the public life within them and food behaviours. The results of this project were shared amongst EAT Lancet partners and contributed to the broader education of Copenhagen’s public kitchens in offering food choices that better align with EAT Lancet planetary health boundary recommendations.