Food is an integral part of our culture. Mealtimes involve more than just the cursory act of eating. They bring people together in a shared ritual - where the sociable sharing of meals is as much about the human interactions that affirm our mutual connectedness, as it is about the culinary delight of taste and smell. Food brings us together in powerful ways that create bonds, community, and memories. This explains why in every city, the urban spaces that surround food - streetscapes or esplanades with lively restaurants and street stands, bustling market halls, or in Singapore's context, our ubiquitous hawker centres - are the very spaces where public life thrives. Food has a way of pulling people together into an urban geniality, livening up the public spaces that we inhabit to affirm our sense of belonging.

At a city scale, the spaces for producing, storing, and distributing food offer another perspective to understand the city - where food is part of an infrastructural flow and network, with strategic implications for a city. The current technological re-imagining of how our food is produced, distributed, and consumed will be consequential to our cities' future.

This digital discussion panel aims to uncover the intricate links between food and our urban environment from varied perspectives and viewpoints to be showcased to an international audience while hosting a live open Q&A session with the audience.

This programme is presented by the Royal Institute of Bristish Architects (RIBA) in collaboration with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in conjunction with SHF2021.

Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a global professional membership body driving excellence in architecture. We serve our members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Being inclusive, ethical, environmentally aware and collaborative underpins all that we do.