Jiawei (Cindy) Chen

Rapid population growth due to the condo development in the urban cores of large North
American cities has reshaped their urban landscapes, and also resulted in an increase in demand for food retailing. This research paper selects Downtown Toronto as the study area to examine the changes in population growth and the food retailing network over the last 10 years. The study aligns with the current TOcore study by the City of Toronto, which aims to develop a policy framework for Downtown development. Downtown Toronto has attracted mainly young professionals due to the condo developments, while it shrinks the living space for older immigrants and low-income households in Social Housing. Food retail industry quickly responds to such demographic changes, where full-service grocery increased to serve the condo dwellers.The closure of discount grocery stores implies losing commercial space and consumers. The household income determines what type of grocery stores the consumers would select. A threestep analysis, including K-mean cluster analysis, circular trade area analysis and population projection, is used to investigate such demand-supply relationship.