Assistant Professor Erica Allen-Kim will be a featured speaker at the event: “City Building and Civics: Toronto’s Asian Heritage,” presented by The Toronto Asia Pacific Youth Council (TAPYC), in partnership with the University of Toronto's School of Cities.

Her talk, “Chinatown Futures: Shaping a Diverse Inter-generational Landscape,” will discuss the effects of changing demographics on the businesses, public spaces, and cultural heritage of Toronto's downtown Chinatown.

Within the broader context of urban gentrification and housing pressures, how can new migrants and second generation Asian-Canadians — as well as other stewards of Chinatown's social and built fabric — reimagine the neighbourhood's future in a rapidly transforming part of the city?

Erica Allen-Kim is an historian of modern architecture and urban design. Her work on global cities and cultural landscapes focuses on issues of memory and citizenship. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University and was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto. Her book project, Chinatown Modernism, situates the architectural and urban projects of American Chinatowns within the broader context of modern architecture and planning.

The event takes place at Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond Street West. Interested in attending? Register for a ticket via eventbrite.