The OpenIDEO Local Food Challenge has now entered the ‘Concepting’ stage following over 500 Inspirations over the last 2 weeks.

All Australian designers and architects are being invited to get involved in the challenge, which allows everyone to suggest ways we can better connect food production and consumption.

We’ve already seen some exciting concepts around urban planning and architecture, such as the “Rooftop Gardens As Urban Policy” concept which suggests policy should be implemented and enforced at a local level to require rooftop gardens to be installed.

“Through local government policy (arguably the most nimble level of government), changes can be implemented quickly while dramatically impacting future urban developments,” explains OpenIDEO member, Dara Parker.

While better understanding our urban environments could help urban food production become more tangible as member Mukta Das suggests: “Projects like LUCID bring together architects, meteorologists and urban planners to locate carbon sinks and heat islands in our cities, helping growers find places for gardens and greenhouses.”

The Queensland Government has committed to implementing one of these concepts – to be chosen by a panel during the IDEAS Festival next month. So this is an amazing opportunity for the architecture and design community in Australia to get a powerful idea off the ground.

Click below to visit the site and get started.