Measuring the social impact of City-region food system initiatives (CRFSIs) : A systematic review of indicators and metrics
Specht, K. (ILS gGmbH)
Iodice, C. (ILS Research gGmbH)
Monticone, F. (University of Bologna)
Tonini, Pietro (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Petruzzelli, M. (University of Bologna)
Carotti, L. (University of Bologna)
Fox-Kämper, R. (ILS gGmbH)
Toboso-Chavero, Susana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Orsini, F. (University of Bologna)
Samoggia, A. (University of Bologna)
Vittuari, M. (University of Bologna)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	City-region food system initiatives (CRFSIs) are crucial for sustainable urban development, as they bridge the gap between local producers and consumers, adapt and restructure city-regions, and improve urban food security. Although in political and scientific discourses, CRFSIs are generally associated with positive effects across all sustainability dimensions, research has begun to measure their actual impact. While many studies address their environmental and economic impacts, it is widely argued that social impacts are 'fuzzier' and more difficult to measure. This paper challenges the notion that social impacts are immeasurable by presenting social indicators and metrics in four social dimensions (education, health, community development and economy). For this purpose, a systematic literature review covering the period 2010-2020 was conducted via the PRISMA method. The analysis of n = 234 papers confirmed that social impacts are measurable through various indicators, including quantitative metrics (e. g. , kg, €) and qualitative measures (e. g. , Likert scales). Health-related indicators were present in 47 % of all analyzed papers. Across the 597 identified indicators, 249 indicators were health-related, followed by indicators related to education (151), economic aspects (105), and community development (92). This review highlights the strong correlations between these different social impact dimensions. It serves as a valuable resource for quantifying social impacts and enabling researchers to assess social sustainability of CRFSIs in the future.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-1683 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M European Commission 862663
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article de revisió ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	City-region food system initiatives ; Literature review ; Metrics ; PRISMA ; Social impact ; Social indicators
Published in:	Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 128 (2025) , art. 106462, ISSN 2210-6715

DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2025.106462

19 p, 3.3 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Sustainability and Environmental Protection (Sostenipra)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles