The advent of a food co-op group in my neighborhood reminded me of some ideas from “Sustainable Everyday: scenarios of urban life,” the catalog of a Milan Triennale exhibition that asked design students worldwide to imagine daily life in a sustainable city.

Many of the students’ ideas centered around cooperation and food, and the authors synthesized many of those ideas into the scenario of a “food atelier” (Flash) — a cooperative combination corner store, CSA pickup, communal kitchen/table, and neighborhood restaurant.

The site also has a more in-depth “HTML investigation”:http://www.triennale.it/triennale/sito_html/quotidiano/eng/scenari_.html of the various “sustainable scenarios,” including the food atelier. [to navigate: click on the arrow at the left, then in the grid boxes for “food atelier” under quick, slow, and co-op, and then on the white boxes. To return, click on the arrow at the left again.]

Some aspects of the food scenario that I like:
* It’s scalable. Many of the aspects — cooking club, CSA pickup, tasting club, local purchasing club — can be implemented on a volunteer basis, without even a dedicated location. More difficult parts (chef on duty, retail sales, pro kitchen, restaurant) can be added on as demand warrants or as opportunities arise.
* Similarly, it’s modular: although the various parts add up to a whole, the pieces can each work fairly independently. Indeed, many parts could be done off-site or contracted out.
* It’s replicable.
* It works (as the site outlines) for everyone from “quick,” casual users to well organized volunteers, and provides a place for everyone who can contribute either time or money.
* It promotes cooperation, community, and sustainability.
* Heck, it’s such a good idea, I’m surprised it hasn’t already been commodified and corporatized.