The Resilience of Americas Urban Food Systems: Evidence from Five Cities

Many cities in the U.S. are prioritizing resilience planning to better prepare for severe natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and superstorms. Food systems, however, have been largely overlooked in these planning efforts. Most cities expect to provide residents with food for a relatively short period of time—a few weeks at most—during the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. But as Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, food system disruptions may last months or years. Such long-lasting disruptions can create significant food access issues, especially for populations that are already food insecure