Project summary
Project description DIRECT HUBS
DIRECT HUBS developed a concept for a sustainable, circular urban food system that can eliminate waste and close resource cycles. We integrated successful approaches of regionalization, direct marketing, community supported agriculture, zero waste, resource symbioses with farmers in or near cities, conversion technologies for nutrient and water recovery and reuse for local agriculture including urban farming into our solution. We built on the concept of so-called transformation hubs that can serve as junctions for resources, local value creation and participation in cities. As a result, these centers can serve as spaces for encounters and collaborative work beyond the food sector. DIRECT HUBS is based on three guiding principles: circular, nature-based and participatory – which are very scalable at urban and regional level and are the key to a social transformation towards a circular economy.
The aim of DIRECT HUBS
- To develop in a participatory process the concept of a sustainable, circular, urban food system based on the concept of transformation hubs
- To concretize the concept of transformation hubs for Vienna
- To develop a technical, logistical, participatory implementation model for replication
Our role in the DIRECT HUBS
- Coordination
- To quantify resource flows and potentials for Vienna
- To develop a technical, participatory, logistic implementation model for transformation hubs
- To develop a methodology for identification of underutilized infrastructure
- To do a financial feasibility study
- To develop a roadmap for three “Grätzel” in Vienna
- To develop a replication guide for other Austrian cities and beyond
The DIRECT HUBS Vision
- To transform the food value chain into a food value circle
- A solid concept for the implementation of transformation hubs in cities
- Direct Hubs wants to change the role of cities in the food system by realizing their rich human and natural resource potential and giving back to peri-urban and rural area
- As a main result there will be a concept of transformation hubs developed in a participatory process with stakeholders for the implementation in Vienna and replication in other cities.
DIRECT HUBS contribution to Circular Economy
The project theoretically developed local innovation and transformation hubs in cities where citizens engaged in co-creation, innovators were given a platform and solutions were developed in dynamic exchange within the community. Together with peri- urban and rural actors of the food system, transformation processes became more demand-driven. Based on insights generated within these co-creation spaces, the project generated knowledge and tools for city-level programming and provided the missing link to transform linear waste flows into city-region nutrient cycles.
Project coordinator
Project partners
Zentrum für Soziale Innovation (ZSI GmbH)
Project status
Starts 03.2021 duration 24 months Ends: February 2023
Call: Energy Transition 2050
Topic: Schwerpunkt 1: Ernährungsraum Stadt: Nachhaltige Kreisläufe rund um urbane Ernährungssysteme fördern
Total Costs: 131.988 EUR
This project is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund and is carried out within the framework of the “energy transition 2050” program.
