Exploring spatial land use typologies for housing + food production: A Canterbury case study

Abstract

Peri-urban areas are vitally important to the function and value of our settlements, communities, ecology and economies, particularly in a world where the localisation of the food supply chain is increasing in priority as natural disasters, pandemics, severe weather events, and human-induced conflicts amplify the lack of resilience in our often long and complex food systems. The peri-urban zone of Aotearoa, once a key contributor to the local foodshed is facing unprecedented pressure from land use change. Planning for the future of these areas is challenging, with planning policy and practice often contested, and functional solutions elusive. Aotearoa New Zealand lacks research into innovative spatial land use possibilities for the co-existence and mutual benefit of accommodating both people and food production within peri-urban zones – spatial typologies that re-prioritise food production as a vital part of the peri-urban zone. Based on an extensive survey and design critique workshop with Greenfield residents and peri-urban Growers operating with the Selwyn District, as well as interviews with Mana Whenua and archival mahinga kai mapping, this research has developed a set of spatial land use typologies specific for the peri-urban zone of Aotearoa New Zealand, addressing the question - How can landscapes for both people and production prosper within peri-urban Aotearoa through innovative spatial design, reconnecting New Zealanders with whenua and food.