Can food form a better city - and vice versa? Prague's CAMP (Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning) will search for the answers to this question during its FoodCAMP programme from December 2 to 6. Every evening of the week will explore a different layer of food - urban planning dynamics covering topics like the sustainable relationship between the city and countryside, urban gardening, restaurant design and street food. The programme includes movie screenings, talks, debates with foreign speakers like Carolyn Steel, author of Hungry City, a kids’ workshop and a talk  show.

“Both food and architecture are prominent issues of today, but you rarely see them connected. That’s why I'm proud to introduce CAMP's audience to its mutual synergies and influences,” says Ondřej Boháč, Director of Prague Institute of Planning and Development.  Food is a highly useful tool when solving many current urban issues, be it climate crisis adaptation, the unsustainability of the current food chain or urban renewal. “We're happy to establish this topic via FoodCAMP, especially with renowned speakers from both the architectural and culinary world, such as Carolyn Steel, author of Hungry City, or Ambiente Restaurants' Creative Chef Jana Bilíková,” adds Lucie Kohoutová, FoodCAMP's curator.

FoodCAMP starts on Monday 12/2 with a screening of City of Gold, a feature documentary on the famous food critic Jonathan Gold, whose passion for Los Angeles' street food has allowed his readers to explore the metropolis and its authentic ethnic food on a whole new level. Tuesday continues with a lecture by Carolyn Steel, author of Hungry City, as she talks about how food shapes our lives and the everyday miracle of feeding our cities. Wednesday is dedicated to a kids’ workshop and urban gardening: Amber Alferoff, London officer of Social Farms & Gardens will discuss best practices and challenges with the local community gardening scene. Thursday's talk show Camping represents a light take on food-related architectural projects and culinary travelling, as seen by food blogger Lukáš Hejlík, architect and co-author of Manifesto Market Ondřej Chybík and the show's host Ondřej Cihlář. Friday wraps it up with a focus on sustainability:  Q&A with Jana Bilíková, Creative Chef of  Ambiente Restaurants and a screening of Sustainable, a documentary testifying to the direct relationship between farmers and chefs as a sound alternative to the mass production of food and its destruction of the climate, soil, natural resources and human health.

The programme is free of charge and almost 100% English-friendly. More details regarding particular events can be found on CAMP's website and Facebook; seat bookings can be made on GoOut.

2/12 5:30 pm - FILM:  City of Gold

The FoodCAMP series kicks off with a screening of City of Gold, a feature documentary tribute to the late Jonathan Gold, the famous Pulitzer Prize winner whose passion for Los Angeles and its street food has allowed his viewers to discover a whole new perspective on the city. As an opening to the event, Mr.HotDog, the popular Letná hangout, will be serving California-themed hot dogs, accompanied by West Coast hip-hop and locally grown wine.

3/12 7 pm - TALK: How  Food Shapes Our Cities

Where do the millions of meals served in cities every day come from? Carolyn Steel, British architect and lecturer, will deliver a talk on how intensely food has historically shaped urban space and present her upcoming book Sitopia, dedicated to her eponymous concept of the city of the future, which is a healthier one thanks to a renewed focus on its relationship with food.

4/12 5 pm - KIDS:  City Sea Chicken House

Where does our food come from? What can you turn a cow into? And is it more fun to make a house out of cardboard or doughnuts? A workshop for small food urbanists held by the English-language outdoor kid's club Vyšehrad / Libeň Monsters.

The workshop focuses on kids 8 - 15 years of age. Younger kids can come with their parents.

4/12 7:30 pm -  DEBATE: City farms and community gardens 

Another guest from London, Amber Alferoff, head of the London office of Social Farms & Gardens, will hold a discussion with local community garden advocates. London city farms have existed since the end of the 1970s as open, lively hubs featuring not only vegetable patches but also animals, cafés, farmers' markets and more. They represent a great leisure option for mothers with small kids, but also for underprivileged members of society.

5/12 7 pm TALKSHOW:  Camping talk show with Lukáš Hejlík and Ondřej Chybík

Ondřej Cihlář, the show's host, has invited Ondřej Chybík (one of the minds behind Manifesto Smichov food market) and actor and food blogger Lukáš Hejlík to talk about design, cafés and culinary explorations. (Event is in Czech)

6/12 6:30 pm  FILM:  Chefs and farmers' sustainable  relationships

To wrap up the programme, FoodCAMP will screen the Sustainable documentary, an inspirational focus on Marty Travis, 7th-generation Illinois farmer who watched his land and community fall victim to the pressures of big agribusiness. Determined to create a proud legacy for his son, Marty transforms his profitless wasteland and pioneers the sustainable food movement in Chicago. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Jana Bilíková, sustainability advocate and creative chef of Ambiente Restaurants, dedicated to the sustainable behavior of restaurants and consumers.

The Centre for  Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP) aims at improving the public debate on Prague's development. The core source of information on the present and future of the Czech Republic’s capital city, it represents an open platform, a “base camp” for everyone interested in participative planning and the evolution of Prague. It's located on Charles Square in the building of the  Prague Institute of Planning and Development and offers its visitors an  exhibition hall with a unique 25m projection screen; a study room with a vast  array of books and magazines on architecture, urban planning and design; and a  congenial café, outdoor terrace and modern lecture hall with a rich programme  of public debates, talks by local and foreign experts, workshops, screenings  and other activities. 

CAMP also manages and edits the prahazitra.camp map portal, an essential overview of construction projects in the metropolitan area - from primary ideas and projects in preparation to the ones already in construction. 

Contact:

Lucie Kohoutová, FoodCAMP curator
t: +420 605 255 896
m: lucie@brutetbrut.com