Search

This paper examines how food planning policies address the reterritorialization of agricultural activities (RAA), a crucial component of local food systems. While food planning as an integrated local policy promoting local food systems has gained increasing research attention, most of the research has been urban-centric, resulting in a limited understanding of how it includes RAA. This paper fills this research gap by assessing 39 food planning projects in France, where the state defines food planning by national law and supports local projects. Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, RAA-associated food planning policy goals, instruments, and agri-food professional actors' involvement are identified. The empirical findings highlight the central role of RAA in French food planning projects; it either serves as the primary motivation behind these projects or evolves into a substantial component as the projects develop. A wide range of policy instruments with local innovation to support RAA are identified, with more frequent use of informational and economic than regulatory and coercive instruments, and more focus on economic development than on ecological transition. Minority and majority farmers' organizations are involved in food planning processes with varying degrees of engagement across territories, reflecting local governance strategies. The analytical methods in this study may contribute to future research to better comprehend RAA in local food policymaking. The systematic overview of RAA-associated food planning measures also offers insights to policymakers in other contexts regarding food policy design. The paper concludes by arguing that food planning extends beyond urban food supply; it also presents an opportunity to leverage RAA for rural revitalization and transformation, in terms of production models, rural-urban links, and local governance. • Systematic analysis of 39 projects offers an overview of French food planning. • French food plans favor economic and informational over regulatory measures. • Food planning instruments prioritize economic development over ecological transition. • French food planning engages diverse actors; both major and minor farmer groups participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing the cases of Bordeaux and Genoa, this article shows how and why similar inputs from the European Union (EU) produce different sets of policy transformations within urban systems. Empirically, we focus on the common policy initiative URBAN II—promoted by the EU within its informal urban policy. To separate out similarities and differences we address two research questions: how do EU inputs from URBAN II produce coping and adjusting mechanisms at the level of cities? What is the character of the transformation eventually produced? The former question is about the mechanisms of Europeanization; the latter is about the nature of the process. To frame our analysis we draw on public policy analysis and institutional theory, particularly in terms of logics of action and causal mechanisms for change. Evidence from in-depth interviews and process tracing suggest that differences largely depend on past traditions and arrangements in the policy sector considered and on the strategic role of specific actors at the local level. Similarities reflect instead the common attempt of cities to promote their territory and the role of urban systems in the EU-wide policy making as well as the reaction to the constraints accompanying EU action at the urban level. In the conclusions, we show how our findings contribute to the field of Europeanization and propose avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]