Institutional frameworks for controlled-environment food production systems in urban areas. A comparative analysis of Berlin, London and Singapore.

Producing enough healthy food for a growing world population within planetary boundaries is a global challenge. Various new technologies for resource-efficient and sustainable food production are currently under development. One promising approach are modular production systems that combine the production of e.g., plants, fish and insects in controlled environments to create closed material cycles. Such controlled-environment systems could then also be located in urban areas. However, establishing food production systems in urban contexts meets institutional challenges because legal frameworks and planning practices are often not prepared to accommodate food production, which is typically assigned to rural areas. Few studies so far have analysed the institutional framework for urban food production systems. This paper aims to address this gap. Based on an institutional analysis we have analysed the institutional framework at three different locations (Berlin, London and Singapore), using a content analysis of relevant scientific and grey literature and 36 semi-structured expert interviews. The results show that in each location a variety of different formal and informal institutions affect the implementation and acceptance of controlled-environment food production systems. The relevant institutions reflect responses to past and present challenges to the food sector, as well as a range of stakeholder needs and power structures in the three locations. The different institutional frameworks point towards very diverse challenges and opportunities for the realization and acceptance of controlled-environment food production systems. None of the three locations provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for controlled-environment food production systems. Singapore’s government stimulates the development and implementation of urban food production systems through different political strategies, guidelines and financial initiatives, whereas controlled-environment food production systems receive little attention in the institutional frameworks of London and Berlin. However, a high degree of regulatory uncertainty and bureaucratic barriers encumber the implementation of controlled-environment food production systems in all three locations. The paper analyses the impact of financial initiatives and supportive political strategies for urban food production on encouraging local businesses to implement controlled-environment food production systems. It also looks at the acceptance of high-tech food production systems by local consumers and residents. The findings suggest that the successful establishment of controlled-environment food production systems in urban areas requires a comprehensive and integrated regulatory framework that considers the specifics of 1) the highly intensive production processes, 2) the variegated types of products and 3) the urban location.