City Food

What is the place of food in urban spaces, especially in diverse cities, like Toronto?

City Food is a collaborative research project that aims at rethinking the category of “ethnic food” and identifying its place in diasporic communities. At a time of increased human mobility and planetary urbanization – the creation of a worldwide urban fabric – the necessity of providing not only sufficient and nutritious calories but also foods linked to diverse populations’ varied traditions and backgrounds becomes a pressing global challenge. Over the last three years we have assembled a global partnership of noted scholars, leading academic programs and centres, museums, and not-for-profits associations.

We are develping a new analytical framework to understand the cultural, economic, and nutritional significance of food in diverse cities. The knowledge mobilized through workshops, peer-reviewed publications, publicly-oriented forums, digital display, and museum exhibits will help train a new generation of food studies and urban studies scholars while engaging broader constituencies and expertise in a new comprehensive and global conversation around access to and availability of food. As we think about questions of food equity, health, and security, we recognize that we must address the cultural needs of diasporic communities and not simply focus on questions of caloric and micronutrient sufficiency.