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8/6/2007 12:37:00 PM
I was just thinking about the plausibility of a community garden in this high-density urban neighbourhood. There's a vacant lot adjacent to the Woodward's site that is currently owned by the city. Now what I'm thinking is an atrium style building, open-air plaza on the lower level with a high ceiling, say 20-30', and a rooftop community garden under lock at night.
I'm thinking the garden would need to be raised so it gets sunlight through the buildings around it. The plaza/garden would not require the entire site, but perhaps a portion, so the land could be shared by a commercial interest, perhaps a restaurant. There is also the possibility that something like this could be put on the deed so construction would require this be portioned off and built.
Anyway, I've been brainstorming on some community projects for the Eastside the last while. This idea just came to me. Thoughts?
Edited by Bashley on 10/9/2008 7:22:29 AM
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8/6/2007 12:40:00 PM
Excellent idea - there is a community garden up at UBC and another I think in the east side/main & 12th area.
Since vancouver is lacking any yards and many new buildings do not really have good balconies- community gardens is were it's at.
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8/6/2007 1:38:00 PM
There are a couple dozen community gardens in the City of Vancouver right now... if you want to start one in the DTES then start by working on one of the others... learn about how they started, how they organized, how they work... learn from their experiences...
And if you're reading this because you have a garden already, please "plant a row, grow a row"... for those who don't know it's a program whereby you grow an extra row of edibles in your home garden and donate that row to a local community kitchen... most accept local veggies and fruits...
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8/6/2007 1:43:00 PM
Anyway, I've been brainstorming on some community projects for the Eastside the last while.
Why introduce a new one? Why not go down there and work with groups who already have enough great ideas but not enough help to execute them? Just go down there and help them... learn what it's like from the front lines... it'll make it easier to come up with the more feasible ideas...
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8/6/2007 9:13:00 PM
I know there are a couple, in fact some of the nicest community gardens in the city are in the Lower Eastside. Strathcona and Cottonwood gardens are beautiful and make for a nice summer stroll on a lazy day. What I'm thinking is something more adapted to the urban environment. I'm big on public space and community gardening is a good step towards building a stronger sense of community. I think public space needs some rethinking in urban center.
Also, those two gardens are regularly booked solid. I don't think I remember a time where I saw a vacant plot, and they're fairly large. Still, the point of a community garden is to serve its community, and Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside are separate communities.
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8/6/2007 9:20:00 PM
I think public space needs some rethinking in urban center.
Then participate in the process... there are many opportunities to do so.
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8/7/2007 7:48:00 AM
I'm wanting to organize a community group, actually. I've been wanting for a while to get a bunch of socially-minded people together to just take on projects around the city and to organize community involvement in the projects.
The hard part is getting the ball rolling. So far it's a group of one.
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8/7/2007 8:32:00 AM
^Why organize a new one? Why not explore one of many others already doing just that? Are you wanting to lead the group? Is that why? If you're okay with working collectively with others, there are several groups of like-minded individuals working on various projects. I'm sure many of them would like an extra pair of hands and new input.
The ball's already rolling... add a new one and it thins out the resources.
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8/7/2007 8:42:00 AM
Jason, where do you live? There are people needing help in more than just the downtown eastside. There are homeless people in almost every neighbourhood across the lower mainland. You can help out in your own backyard.
The DTES has many social service agencies that serve that constituent. As negative as it sounds, most of those agencies rely on the DTES staying downtrodden in order for their own agency to stay in operation. This is not to say that people aren't wanting to work toward positive change, but there is undeniable structural functionalism. It's not different than cops and crime: if cops work toward eliminating crime, then they eliminate their own jobs. But in the meantime they must work toward fighting it with the optimism of eliminating it. If you really want to see a change in your community, you have to stop just thinking about it and actually start acting on it. If you are serious about to get a bunch of socially-minded people together to just take on projects around the city and to organize community involvement in the projects then just check out those in your neighbourhood who've already done that and are needing more help.
In my own neighbourhood, we took on a polluted Ravine and gathered people to help clean it out every weekend over the course of several years. The Ravine is now nearly restored to its salmon days (though the fish will take a while to come back) and for the past four years we've had a huge community event with several thousand people celebrating the Ravine every September. We've combined the celebration to include other successful projects in the neighbourhood, including the elimination of graffiti under the skytrain tracks with community murals as replacements; we've got a successful "shower program" running for homeless people to be able to have a shower, clean clothes, and breakfast while someone watches their cart and worldly belongings, and so on... We even have a "food security" project which helps encourage a system of being able to feed the homeless and those living paycheque to paycheque... we also have family cooking nights where families gather and cook together several meals to last the week; this is handy for those on limited budgets.
There are a lot of similar projects right across the City... let me know where you live and I'll hook you up...
And if you have a new idea, you can always introduce it to "socially-minded people" who you'll meet at these... they are the ones to help you get the ball rolling .
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8/7/2007 9:02:00 AM
sounds really good! pigeon park has gone really down hill and it would be great to have a new place in the neighbourhood
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8/7/2007 9:05:00 AM
ooo ooo can i plant a needle tree?
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8/7/2007 11:57:00 AM
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8/7/2007 12:50:00 PM
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8/7/2007 3:35:00 PM
That's excellent advice, Wolfchick. As for where I live, yeah...I moved to the Eastside last year, and honestly I'm surprised how much beauty I've been able to find down here. At the same time, I haven't been as involved as I'd like to be in community development here due to the issues you mentioned, as well as others like the transitory state of the neighbourhood right now.
It's kind of a double-edged sword trying to build community for the people down here when Bob Rennie will use any work that I and others do to sell the neighbourhood off. It's actually a planned process of gentrification...artists move in first and make some positive changes, then the people who couldn't care less but can pay more come in and even the artists are flushed out.
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8/7/2007 3:37:00 PM
pigeon park has gone really down hill and it would be great to have a new place in the neighbourhood
If you're interested, I can get you contact information and plans for the current redevelopment of Pigeon Park. It's part of the Carrall Street Greenway project. I tried to talk the city into having a small concert shell put in with priority given to low-income musicians from the neighbourhood.
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8/7/2007 3:40:00 PM
Thanks for the links, Phi. I forgot about the Tea Swamp garden off Main. If you ever see that one, you'll see how a small community garden can really give off a feel for community.
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8/7/2007 3:44:00 PM
how bigs the lot?
what you could do is build affordable/low income housing and throw a green roof on the top thats deep enough to support a garden and grow what you want.
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8/7/2007 8:18:00 PM
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8/7/2007 9:45:00 PM
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8/8/2007 6:12:00 AM
Mary Mag should enter this thread... she has worked with Community Art projects... the concept of Community Gardens is similar in how it is started, organized, funded, supported, and the ongoing infrastructure of people and money needed to see it happen and then remain...
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8/8/2007 8:26:00 AM
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