The city on a plate

Location: Auditorium, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, ul. Marszałkowska 103 
Free admission

Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris are strengthening their local food systems in various ways—from collaborating with food producers, to implementing urban food strategies, to developing short supply chains.

During a discussion organized in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, we will explore how to build food resilience in cities amid the climate crisis, economic instability, and geopolitical tensions.  

Experts representing these three cities will share best practices and jointly explore how European capitals can learn from one another and collaborate to build more resilient, fair and sustainable ways of producing, distributing, and accessing food. Together, they will outline a vision for the cities of the future, where food is not only a daily necessity but also a tool for building communities, strengthening democracy, and promoting the common good.

The panel, moderated by Katarzyna Jagiełło, climate and biodiversity expert, will bring together:

- Sébastien Goelzer, Vergers Urbains - a Paris-based urban agriculture association, France

- Antoine Guillou, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Green Spaces and Sustainable Food, France

- Toni Karge, urban planner and urban agriculture expert at the Berlin Senate, Germany

- Saskia Richartz, Berlin Food Policy Council, Germany

- Ruta Śpiewak, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland 

and 

- Małgorzata Tracz, Member of the Polish Parliament, Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Farm Animal Welfare, Poland

 Sébastien Goelzer

A member of Vergers Urbains – Paris-based urban agriculture association, France. Landscape urbanist specialising in urban agriculture, ecological design and community-based initiatives. At Vergers Urbains, he develops projects that transform public spaces into productive landscapes, strengthening biodiversity, local food systems and citizen participation. Author of the book Cultiver la Ville (Cultivating the City).

Antoine Guillou

Deputy Mayor of Paris for Green Spaces and Sustainable Food, France. He is responsible for one of Europe’s most ambitious urban food policies. In Paris, he brings together climate action, green infrastructure and local food systems by strengthening short supply chains, expanding sustaina

Toni Karge

An urban planner and urban agriculture expert of the Berlin Senate. He is an urban planner specialising in public space planning, urban agriculture and agroecology. He combines experience in public policy with research on the role of cities in developing sustainable food systems and transforming productive landscapes.

Saskia Richartz

A member of Berlin Food Policy Council. She leads projects on food poverty and inclusive food environments, working with civil society and the City of Berlin to build fairer and more resilient urban food systems. Her work demonstrates how citizen-led initiatives can shape local food policy.

Ruta Śpiewak

She works at the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences. She combines academic research with practical work on building more sustainable food systems. She studies agroecology, local food systems, food communities and short supply chains, and is a co-founder of the Polish Food Cooperative Network.

The discussion will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Polish.

This event is part of the Warsaw Under Construction 18: Sovereign and Well-Fed festival. 

Entering its eighteenth edition, WARSAW UNDER CONSTRUCTION invites viewers to examine urban metabolism: the ways in which the city nurtures itself, how it breathes, what kind of mechanisms it uses for managing energy and all sorts of matter. Themed “Ecopolis—a city where food grows” this year, the festival is focused on foundations of urban life: earth, water, air, and produce. Food becomes a starting point for discussions revolving around various interconnections between people, nature, and infrastructure.