A Food Community
If you have special dietary needs, such as gluten-free, kosher or vegetarian, and are looking for a restaurant, retailer, or manufacturer that caters to those needs, Nommunity says it can help you. Nommunity is a free mobile app where consumers can search and find restaurants, recipes, and retailers that cater to their special dietary needs. The app can put them in touch with other people who have similar dietary needs and allow them to share tips and resources about how to meet those needs. According to the company, “…Nommunity is piloting web-based and mobile apps to help you find Vegan, Vegetarian, Kosher, Gluten-Free, Locally Grown and Organic restaurants across the US. It’s a cinch to get detailed information, place orders and make reservations while traveling or on-the-go.” They call it a food community.
A mobile app that facilitates connections between people in a city reinforces the idea about cities as social reactors. Luis Bettencourt, a physicist at the Santa Fe Institute, explains that “At their most fundamental, cities are not really agglomerations of people; they’re agglomerations of connections between people.” These connections are important in achieving the “optimal city.” When these connections can be had at the least cost, cities prosper. Nommunity helps connect people in reference to food at little cost.
