Local News
“Come mangia Palermo?” the new Citizen Science Tool to Map Palermo’s Foodscapes
20 March 2026
Our twin city Palermo is about to take a big step in participatory food system research. Come mangia Palermo? is a new citizen science initiative that will invite residents to explore and map the city’s foodscapes – the dynamic intersections between food, space, and society.
Through an interactive digital platform, citizens will be able to geolocate food-related places on a map, from markets and restaurants to community spaces and public areas. Users will share information about each location, such as the presence of seasonal or local food, its economic and physical accessibility, or whether it is a regularly frequented spot. Data can be shared anonymously or, for those who wish, with personal details to give visibility to their contribution.
Citizen tool logo “Come mangia Palermo?”
The tool will encourage residents to document where and how food is produced, distributed, and consumed across Palermo, helping to reveal both visible and hidden aspects of the local food system. Over time, the platform will build a collective, open map reflecting the diversity, accessibility, and transformation of food spaces in the city. This will also support an evidence-based conversation on urban food policies in the city. In this process, citizens become true co-researchers, enriching the dataset with their everyday knowledge and perspectives.
Come mangia Palermo? has been designed and developed by PUSH, drawing methodological inspiration from the Foodscapes platform by Gehl and the ECSA guidelines on citizen science. The tool will be officially launched soon during the pilot kick-off event organised by EPYC in Palermo.
We look forward to seeing how this initiative will contribute to a deeper understanding of Palermo’s food environments and support the transition towards more sustainable and inclusive urban food systems.
App design “Come mangia Palermo?”