A Growing Future
Lucy Yang
My final undergraduate design studio was an open-ended exercise which asked each student to research and develop an aspect of the city of Toronto that they were passionate about and to propose an intervention in response. Since moving to Toronto 6 years ago, I’ve been interested in the food culture of Toronto, particularly the cultural variation of food which you can find in this patchwork quilt of a city.
Toronto is home a multitude of ethnic enclaves - Little Italy, Chinatown, Greektown, Portugal Village, Koreatown, Little India, etc. which are areas which have developed as a result of having a concentration of residents of one dominant ethnicity, leading to the rise of businesses, services, institutions and associations which emerge to support an ethnic group. A key strength of Toronto’s central city enclaves is that they are largely made up of secondary concentrations in which an ethnic group is the single largest but not a majority population [i], making them more diverse than typically expected of ethnic enclaves and provides opportunities for cross-cultural learning and sharing.
This preliminary dive into researching the ethnic pockets and multicultural food scene of Toronto soon delved into questions of privilege and accessibility. As a privileged young working professional living in the city, I see all too often the culture of food amongst my peers - massive lines to try the latest dessert trend from Japan or the late night shawarma runs after a wild night out. Through my research, I was introduced to the concept of food insecurity: the limited ability or uncertainty in accessing adequate, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food in socially-acceptable manners [ii]. Food is a fundamental human need and limited access to food is considered a violation of human rights. In Toronto, food insecurity affects 1 in 8 households [iii] and is a serious public health concern as it is closely linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes.
My design proposal in response to the crisis of food insecurity focuses on utilizing urban agriculture as means to locally produce healthy and culturally sensitive produce. More importantly, my project advocates for the method of vertical farming. The key aspect of vertical farming is that plants are grown in racks stacked on top of each other - giving you a lot more production for your footprint. Some vertical farms can be found on rooftops, but farms can also be situated indoors where they are not at the mercy of weather conditions such as drought, storms, snow, etc. Hydroponics (plant roots sitting in water) and aeroponics (plant roots misted with water) are methods that allow plants to be watered in a controlled manner. My proposal encourages the use of vertical farming to grow culturally sensitive produce with often may require specific heat, light and water conditions to grow. This project proposes to revitalize a now-demolished block of public housing apartments in Regent Park into an agricultural hub and market to provide locally grown produce to community members and encourage cross-cultural learning and sharing.
In this last year since starting at FSA Inc., I appreciate how my passion for food security and urban agriculture also been valued by the firm. A current project that I am excited to be a part of is the renovation of a local owned and operated restaurant which will include a laneway patio extension with an integrated vegetable garden to encourage the productive use of underutilized urban space.
Exterior render of proposal
Interior shot of produce market at grade
Sectional Perspective through main tower
Wall section of vertical growing racks
[i] Qadeer, Mohammad, Sandeep K. Agrawal, and Alexander Lovell. “Evolution of Ethnic Enclaves in the Toronto Metropolitan Area, 2001–2006.” Journal of International Migration and Integration11, no. 3 (June 27, 2010): 315-39. doi:10.1007/s12134-010-0142-8.
[ii] Vahabi, Mandana, and Cynthia Damba. “Perceived Barriers in Accessing Food among Recent Latin American Immigrants in Toronto.” International Journal for Equity in Health 12, no. 1 (January 3, 2013): 1. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-12-1.
[iii] Canada. Food Insecurity in Toronto. City of Toronto, 2017.