Name: How food shapes our cities
Uploaded: 2009-10-05T01:00:00Z
Duration: 15 min 23 s
Description: Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities

How food shapes our cities

Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

Modern urban life relies on vast, often unseen systems that deliver millions of meals every day, like the 30 million served daily in London. As cities grow and diets globalize, food supply becomes less visible and more unsustainable, with rainforests cleared and half of US food wasted. Throughout history, urban design and social life have been shaped by how food moves from countryside to city. Rethinking this relationship can help create healthier, more resilient societies.