Tango-W: Transformative capacity in energy, food and water

Securing food supply is a fundamental sustainability issue for all cities. Urban agriculture and food production have always been part of the cityscape. Today, small-scale cultivation takes place on balconies, planter boxes, and allotment gardens. Commercial cultivation in urban environments is increasing.

New forms of urban cultivation in greenhouses or other protected growing environments can make a significantly larger contribution and increase cities' food security and self-sufficiency. In the study "10% Food from the City - Impact and Feasibility Analysis for Food Production in Urban Environments in Stockholm" estimates that large areas could be built with greenhouses or other forms of indoor cultivation, thereby making a considerable contribution to local food production.

In Stockholm Royal Seaport, there are large caverns that were used to store fuels until 2018. Work has begun on establishing how these caverns can be used, primarily from the perspective of which of these spaces are suitable for human occupancy and how they would need to be remediated.

Transformative capacity in energy, food and water, (TANGO-W) is an applied research project aimed at building adaptive capacity at the interface between food, energy, and water on two different levels: locally through various demonstration projects and at the European level through a joint learning process. In both cases, the project will build on existing knowledge of how transformative capacity can be developed while integrating functional solutions (technical, social, organisational, governance, etc.) at the interface between food, energy, and water. The project explores the possibility of using caverns for large-scale cultivation.

Purpose and goal

The overall purpose of increasing opportunities for urban cultivation (TANGO-W) is to establish several demonstration projects and thereby identify the need to increase various stakeholders' knowledge about cities' challenges related to food, energy, and water. The purpose for Stockholm Royal Seaport is to explore how urban cultivation can be increased by identifying locations and spaces for "city farmers" and recreational cultivators with the help of a feasibility study.

Results and experience

The project began in April 2022, and nothing has been published to date. A feasibility study in Stockholm Royal Seaport will be carried out during 2023.

Further reading