I am a cultural geographer and Registered Professional Planner (RPP MCIP) with an interest in public space planning, cultures of consumption, and social sustainability. Through my research I considers how public space is conceptualized, the ways in which such sites are shaped through the insertion of food markets, retail, and leisure activities, and the combined impact of these factors on neighbourhood vitality. Viewing public spaces as both social constructions and material spaces, I am guided by questions around the process of community identity making, the role of food in place-making, and the cultural organization of cities. I am concerned with the ways through which decisions related to food policy and public space management mirror wider political, social, and economic debates, and how these factors influence who is seen to form the urban ‘public’ such initiatives cater to.