Communities Collaborating Blog
Inquiry from a Colleague - Food Security and Social Housing Integration
Does anyone know of literature/case studies/best practices etc. of the integration of (social)housing design with food security. I have found a very little on affordable housing and design strategies which include community space. And there is also quite a bit on urban agriculture . But I am looking for examples where food security has been the driver for housing design, i.e that it is integral to the design. Any tips or suggestions of where I should be looking would be most appreciated. Many thanks.
Please email your responses directly to:
Melina Auerbach
Project Manager, Population Health
Vancouver Coastal Health
721-601 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C2
(604) 875-4111 ext. 69002 http://www.vch.ca/population/About
Bringing people in communities to collaboration is an emerging field of practice. The Communities Collaborating Institute was developed to advance the skills of collaborators and practitioners, and to help make the work of renewing communities easier and more effective. Check out what members of this online learning community are blogging about today!
RSSAtom
4 Comments
Paul Born
Joelle
At the Region of Waterloo there are folks who speacialze in food security. I would start with Sanjay there - gsanjay@region.waterloo.on.ca .
Theresa Schumilas is whom Sanjay reports to and sjhe is a wealth of info.
It is a good question and feels like a unique rural opportunity. Though community roof gardens may be another angle. Have you heard of Food Share in Toronto? See their email below - they have done a ton in this area and very progressive.
Can you follow up on this blog with your findings - many of us would find it interesting.
http://www.foodshare.net
1.
Rachel Veira Gainer
Sanjay is also attending our upcoming Collaborative Leadership Retreat, May 6-8 in Kitchener. This would be a great opportunity to connect with him face-to-face.
There were a few food/sustainability things I've come across over time. I hope these things can lead you to more useful information.
Alphabet City 2007- This webpage is definitely worth exploring. Alphabet City is an annual multidisciplinary festival that combines politics, policy, visual art, innovation, theatre, music, and connections between the arts and sciences to encourage debate and create a context for action. Their theme in 2007 was FOOD because Alphabet City believes food is essential to our sense of place, our sense of self, and contributes to a growing movement to improve sustainability, poverty, the economy, the environment and more.
Healthful Living Through Fresher Shopping - The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative is the most ambitious of a spate of local and state projects that represent a different model for public nutrition programs. Instead of subsidizing shoppers, the projects shift the emphasis to the private sector, offering coaching and financial inducements for grocers to go into areas they shunned for decades. This article is from the Washington Post.
Rachel Veira Gainer
Just came across this resource about social housing and social efficiency. There seems to be some very valuable information in here that could possibly touch on food security/agriculture.
Linking Social Housing and Energy Efficiency by Mary Pitt, McGill University, explores the link between the theory, policy and practice of energy-efficient social housing. The theory addresses the general question of what is energy-efficient housing and why a lot of social housing is not energy efficient. Current policy and programs in Ontario are reviewed to discover what incentives and opportunities exist to enhance the energy efficiency of affordable housing. Pitt also considers social housing and the environmental policy issue of energy conservation. Three case studies of social housing in Ottawa are used to support a series of recommendations. To read or download the report, click here.
Mark Wilson
We are starting to get things rolling with community gardening, safe gardening from high soil lead levels, and also nutritional and self sufficiency program workshops for Newfoundland and Labrador low cost housing tenants.
This doesn`t take into account architectural design but we are hoping to get there in the future. Things are really taking off here with food security and food sovereignty. Let us know if we can be of any help to you. We are hoping to start a low cost housing csa in the near future as well.
Mark Wilson
NL Organics Ltd., Head Gardener Reseacher, Safer Soil Project
St. John`s, NL