Urban Food Strategies has over 14 years of experience in providing project management and client services as well as content development, idea generation, research, engagement, assessment, writing, and design services. Janine leads and supports interdisciplinary teams, delivering over 60 healthy community and food system related projects to date.
Principal
Janine de la Salle
[ MA | MCIP | RPP ]
From tearing up sod and planting beans on boulevards to being an innovator in planning for resilient food systems, Janine de la Salle brings over 12 years of experience in food system planning, engagement, research, and design in government, university, private and non-profit sectors.
Recognized as one of Canada’s leading professionals in the emerging field of food and agriculture system planning and as Principal of Urban Food Strategies Janine leads and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to develop plans, strategies, policies, and designs to improve the resilience of social, economic, and environmental elements of food and agriculture systems.
In 2010 after co-authoring and publishing a book entitled Agricultural Urbanism Janine received the President’s award for Young Planner of the Year from the Canadian Institute of Planners. Janine is an Associate of the Centre for Community Development and Simon Fraser University where she teaches courses on mobilizing community food systems
Through being an innovator in the field of food and agriculture system planning, Janine regularly publishes books, book chapters and journal articles on urban and regional food systems
Associates
Urban Food Strategies also works closely with agrology, development, business planning, and design professionals in BC. Our Associates are innovators and leaders in their own fields and when combined with Urban Food Strategies form technically robust teams, custom designed to meet the unique needs of each community and project.
Ione Smith
Upland Agricultural Consulting Ltd. is a group of professional agrologists who work with farmers, local governments, and non-profits on a wide-range of projects.
Darren Stott
Greenchain Consulting is a business planning firm focused on strengthening and reconnecting value chains for local and sustainable food.
Mark Holland
Holland Planning Innovations is a planning and development consulting firm that leads projects from early visioning to policy development, to design and approvals, and from financing to construction.
David Van Seters
Sustainability Ventures is dedicated to developing business, public policy, and educational approaches to foster sustainability.
Our Approach
We take a collaborative approach to food systems change and innovation by engaging across sectors and disciplines to create evidence-based visions, plans, and designs that foster systemic shifts and innovation.
Identifying areas of common interest, especially between interests that are not wholly aligned, is a key strategy we use to contribute to the larger convergence around food, health, and local economic development. Our specialized team provides public, private, and non-profit, sectors with the tools and capacities to undertake a wide-range of initiatives from primary and secondary research, feasibility studies, early visioning, and strategic planning to process design, engagement, policy development, and site design.
As an example of this approach, in 2010 Urban Food Strategies team members collaborated with a large group of regional experts to publish a book on Agricultural Urbanism (AU) that sets out a framework for city building that focuses on community health and wealth. Agricultural Urbanism is in its third print run, selling over 2,500 copies internationally.