Urban communities are particularly vulnerable to the future demand of food, water and energy, and this is further acerbated by the onset of climate change. A solution needs to be found for a FEW nexus. This internationally diverse project, based around urban design practice, sees urban agriculture as a key facilitator of the Nexus, needing water and energy to become productive. Working directly with living labs in some of the most vulnerable communities in the partner cities, the team aims to co-design new food futures with stakeholders that leave them less vulnerable to forces disturbing the nexus. The lessons learned from these stakeholder workshops will be shared outside the team, so that lessons learned locally can be applied globally.

The M-NEX is designed to have a tremendous impact on a variety of scales, stakeholders and locations. The decision-making tool and platform are developed through intense community-based projects in 6 locations around the world. The research team visits each location to collaborate with the local stakeholders in urban living labs to address and formulate a strategy to tackle local FEW-problems. This approach ensures an applicable strategy that provides value for the local academic community, citizens, end users and commercial parties. The outcomes of each location are analysed and combined into the tool and platform, ensuring that outcomes of this project are transferable and an international impact can be guaranteed.