Food Environment and Sustainable Cities: analysis of Interrelationships in Political, sociocultural, and economic contexts

Abstract

Within the most diverse spheres of society (politics, academia, civil society, media, public and private sectors), cities have increasingly gained prominence as places where various socio-environmental and contemporary socio-environmental problems are negatively intensified. Correlatively, cities have also been seen as places where the mitigation of such issues can typically be most effectively carried out. More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, making cities complex and dynamic. In this context, public health policies play a fundamental role in promoting well-being and expanding access to health. Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) are vital in promoting health in cities, mainly through the creation of healthy and sustainable urban food environments that can improve the quality of people’s lives, promoting equity and social inclusion and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The food environment refers to the physical, economic, environmental, political, and sociocultural context in which consumers acquire food. This environment, as it was possible to infer from the development of this work, greatly influences people’s food choices and nutritional status. Through a broad systematic literature review, the present study aimed to investigate how urban food environments in cities that typically adhere to healthy, less demonetized, and sustainable precepts can contribute to constructing more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities.