Cooking Together: Form & Function of Community Kitchen as Urban ‘Third Place’ Promoting Community Wellbeing

Abstract

Global food insecurity has surged in recent years, with nearly one-third of the world population experiencing food insecurity between 2020-2022. Malnutrition remains a leading cause of death globally, making food access a major determinant of health. Cities are increasingly grappling with challenges as urban populations expand and urban food systems are affected by various systemic factors including geopolitical conflicts, economic crises, environmental anomalies, and epidemics. Urban planning and physical characteristics of the urban built environment also affect food access; single-use zoning, suburbanization, rising food costs, proliferation of processed foods, and food-deserts contribute to urban food insecurity, disproportionately affecting low-income communities. As a result, urban populations have seen a rise in the prevalence of both undernourishment and obesity. Dating back centuries and found globally, community kitchens are places where food is prepared en masse by community members to address local food insecurity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, community kitchens (re)gained prominence, offering essential nourishment as well as solace and community amidst widespread hardship and isolation. Research indicates the success of community kitchens in improving nutrition, as well as a number of other benefits including improving mental health, individual and collective empowerment, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion. Despite their effectiveness, reliance on community kitchens to address food insecurity reveals a tension of whether such responsibility should fall on communities, rather than being addressed structurally. Nonetheless, community kitchens represent vital interventions in the absence of adequate public services, showcasing the collective power of communities to address food insecurity and broader social challenges. Drawing from a sample of nine contemporary community kitchens around the world, this thesis explores how community kitchens’ form and function can evolve into critical urban infrastructures, offering benefits beyond food relief to promote community wellbeing in the aftermath of a community shock. In so doing, community kitchens represent urban ‘third places’ – becoming essential informal gathering spaces for communities through their promotion of the arts and culture, education and skills building, economic development, ecological stewardship, and community development.