STAD is an innovation platform for the food system of the future. We begin our work in Malmö, with the mission that within ten years, a third of the food consumed here will be produced and processed in the city.

URBAN

    aubergine
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    The food system of the future must look radically different.

    The change begins here.

    We are building a platform for the food city of the future, and we need you.

    Our cities must become more self-sufficient. Climate change, war and conflict, fragile supply chains, and a lack of preparedness make the city vulnerable. Where will food come from? How will it reach the residents? To be able to support our cities, the food system must look radically different.

    Throughout 2024, we at STAD have engaged with numerous stakeholders to explore these questions, identify barriers and leverage points, and build momentum. We have developed a dynamic vision and discussed the solutions needed – from urban farming and circular flows to new protein sources, marketplaces, and a dramatically improved understanding of food’s value and origins. In 2025, we aim to establish a national network of cities that share our vision and to bring together key actors in Malmö to create a mission-driven local action hub.

    An Urban Food Revolution

    The transformation we envision for the city is profound – a kind of revolution that increases urban self-sufficiency and reconnects people with the origins of their food. This is our vision for the future of Malmö.

    Visit the website
    ↓Download the report (pdf)

    Urban Food revolution

    The Independent Food City

    In May 2024, we transformed our vision into an exhibition showcasing Malmö’s future food city. The exhibition invites visitors to imagine a city designed to be greener, healthier, tastier, and better prepared for the future.

    It highlights different aspects of the city’s food system, including rainwater collection, urban root cellars, community gardens, future farmers' markets, and underground mushroom farms.

    An exhibition hall with people looking at the Urban Food Revolution exhibit.

    Experience Malmö 2035

    Together with researchers, designers, a chef, and a director, we have also created an immersive experience where visitors can explore two possible future scenarios for Malmö—one where the city struggles with increasing vulnerability and a harsher urban life, and another where it becomes greener, healthier, and more inclusive through the development of urban food systems.

    In 2025, we will explore opportunities to bring this experience and the exhibition to other cities across Sweden. If you are interested in hosting them in your city, get in touch with us!

    A kitchen in disarray with a dining chair laying on the floor.
    Current focus area

    Urban farming

    In the cities of the future, food will be cultivated by everyone; in parks and residential gardens, in and on and under buildings, by private individuals and professionals. New careers are emerging, and we’re discovering new technical solutions to take advantage of rainwater and waste heat. Everyone, absolutely everyone, knows an urban farmer.

    Urban cultivation:

    • Intensive cultivation
    • Indoor cultivation
    • Hydroponics and aquaponics
    • Roof greenhouses
    • SPIN-farming
    • Edible parks
    Current focus area

    Future food tech

    The world's growing population cannot continue to eat meat to the extent we do today. In a future sustainable city, which produces and processes a third of its own food, new production techniques will create nutritious foods and proteins. Meat from legumes and yeast, fish from seaweed and algae, and cheese from oats will be on the menu.

    Food tech for the future:

    • Cellular agriculture
    • Precision fermentation
    • Blue food
    • Automation
    • Circular production techniques
    Current focus area

    An urban movement

    In the food city, everyone is involved in their food – from the local urban farmer and the property owner with a greenhouse on the roof, to the housing association that cultivates in its basement, and the city gardener who takes care of the city's edible parks. Consumers, producers, traders, chefs, and restaurateurs meet through new markets, harvest festivals, distribution services, and a nightlife that connects them and makes the new urban food economy flourish.

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    City constraints breed new solutions

    Nearly 60% of the world's population lives in cities and the influx of new city dwellers is constantly increasing. Here, people gather to create culture, economy, and innovation – and to live. It is a place that never stands still but continuously drives development and its residents forward. And it’s that driving force that we want to use to revolutionize the food system.

    City constraints are part of the solution. Lack of space and dense construction will require new production forms. Population density creates ' conditions for new waste-free distribution models. The abundance of unused resources, such as waste heat and rainwater, can be used to create sustainable and circular food production.

    People in a city

    Pilot city Malmö

    We love Malmö. It is a city that vibrates with energy and diversity, bold companies and politicians with vision. It is also a city that takes food and the environment seriously. Here you will find a large community of passionate and engaged dreamers and entrepreneurs with exciting initiatives and unmatched drive. All of the right ingredients for building a radically different food system.

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