The 15-Minute City is often celebrated as a sustainable urban model, but my project looked at the inequalities it could deepen by 2038. With food costs rising faster than wages and social segregation on the increase, I wanted to explore what survival might look like for families on the lowest incomes. This project wasn’t about luxury or convenience—it was about empathy. By focusing on food insecurity, I set out to design a speculative but practical solution for parents forced to skip meals to keep their children fed and their homes heated.

I began by examining the wider global food crisis: rising populations, degraded soils, water shortages, climate change, and geopolitical shocks such as the Ukraine war, which disrupted global wheat supplies. These pressures highlighted how fragile our food systems are and how vulnerable lower-income families would be in a 15-minute city.

Closer to home, I looked at the London cost-of-living crisis housing prices rising faster than wages, single parents spending up to 50% of income on childcare, and families forced to choose between heating and food. In Golborne, London’s poorest ward, I carried out primary research, noting the lack of bike lanes, compact living conditions, and restaurant meals costing upwards of £16 despite local poverty. This confirmed the reality of inequality and food insecurity in urban areas.

From these insights, I identified three key issues:

1. Rising housing costs leaving little for food.

2. Parents skipping meals to cover bills.

3. Segregation and isolation, which limit access to community support.

This research built the foundation for a speculative but grounded design approach to food in 2038.

I decided to focus on one key issue; that parents are skipping meals.