RDA Civic Forum: Food Equity

2021-2022 Lecture Series: Building Identities, Spring Edition
May. 18, 2022
5:30pm to 6:30pm

RDA’s Spring Civic Forum will be devoted to the topic of food equity and accessibility in Houston. The round table discussion will address the topic of food equity and the urban systems that support the distribution of healthy food alternatives to Houston populations.

The Civic Forum will address the spatial implications of urban food distribution and consumption systems in Houston and its region, including the existence of food deserts and lack of accessibility to quality food. Invited speakers will be asked to analyze and shed light on the growing inequity between Houston’s communities based on appropriate access to healthy and sustainable food. Panelists will speak to relevant projects, in Houston and nationally, which exemplify design-oriented alternatives to current urban food networks.

The discussion will aim to inspire audiences through projects, research, and unconventional examples that utilize design thinking as a problem-solving tool, including the application of architectural principles to creating conducive spaces to grow food in urban areas. Invited participants will include existing local urban farming and agricultural entrepreneurship initiatives that are already improving the quality of food accessibility for all Houstonians. Also invited, will be other nationally relevant speakers who are working on identifying existing challenges on the topic outside of Houston.

Rice Design Alliance's Civic Forum is made possible through the generous support of Page, with additional support from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Funding for RDA programs also is provided by RDA Underwriters: Harvey | Harvey-Cleary, Tellepsen Family, ABB/Wholesale Electric Supply Co. of Houston, Big State Electric, Brochsteins, CED Houston, Marek, Turner Construction, and Walter P Moore.