The Community Garden Concept

Welcome back!

Our neighborhood has homes situated on lots that are perfectly suitable for decent gardens.  That’s why I was surprised at the popularity of the community garden.

I actually can’t confidently say I knew there was one. But yesterday my son spent his second visit there with a dear friend of our family who kindly invited him to join her.  He LOVES it there.

The community garden in our neighborhood is made possible because of the generosity of a local family who have allowed access to a portion of their private property for this specific use.

The concept is really wonderful. Participants make a donation to the area’s local Food Network and contribute their time and available resources towards the maintenance of the garden and the purchase of supplies.

Relationships develop as participants meet their “plot neighbors” on visits and gradually learn more about each other. According to William a visit there is like witnessing a neighborhood busy about it’s business of socializing and working. Individuals dig about their plots, chatting about their interests and local events.

On William’s previous visit he met an older couple from England who captured his imagination with the brief glimpse of their personal history that they were kind enough to share with him.

I can’t recall if I’ve posted this before or not, but William plans to be a film maker.  His wheels are spinning about the potential story that could come from this community garden with its cast of players – from the intriguing couple from England, to the “neighbours” from Sri Lanka.

William could easily tell from the easy conversations and the sense of complete contentment on the faces of these “gardeners” that the community garden serves more than one purpose; it’s a place for growing food and for nurturing relationships that help to strengthen our larger garden – our town.

What an apt definition for new urbanism.

Supporting New Urbanism and the Question of Moving

So let’s say you live in one of those cul-de-sacs that are such a no-no in the new urbanism movement. Does that mean you have to consider moving to practice what you preach as a new urbanism convert?

Of course not. While a McMansion on a cul-de-sac doesn’t appeal to me anyhow, personally I would love to move to one of the newer new urbanism developments in my community because I love the neighborhood design, the small but stylish homes and I have friends there.

I won’t be moving though because where I live allows me to conserve energy and spend less!

I’m in one of those small, post-war homes that was thankfully built near a nature conservation area, our town’s Main St., amazing libraries and museums and excellent public transportation. Looking at all those benefits helps me to keep a level head about moving.

That’s a good thing since the temptation is always there – after all I put out the Top Ten New Urbanism Communities list every year and the research involved in creating that list has me submersed in the details and attributes of some of the most attractive and affordable new urbanism communities in all the locations we would consider moving to (both in the U.S. and Canada).

Overall I think that’s a good thing. It’s an indication that more and more builders are building quality, affordable homes that regular families like ours can afford.

So keep a level head about new urbanism. Don’t feel you have to move to embrace the ideals of this movement. If you were planning on moving anyhow, then yes this is a great time to consider your options of moving to a city or a new urbanism development that embraces the close knit community feel of traditional neighborhood designs.

But if moving isn’t on your agenda, some of the more important questions to ask are:

• Can I use public transportation more?
• Can I buy more of our food, clothing and housewares from  local vendors and producers?
• Can I lobby or work with community leaders to ensure that there are resources and infrastructures in place to support work-at-home-opportunities and attract more businesses to my town?

Even on Vacation Communities Make the Difference

I love vacations. Our family, like so many others, has many funny, wonderful memories of vacations that begin with checking into the hotel in a new city or country and end with checking out of the hotel, carrying a suitcase full of souvenirs and dirty laundry!  Our recent vacation was a little different.

We landed in a foreign country, but skipped the hotel part.  We set up our temporary home in the community. The location: 2119 feet above sea level in a quaint Jamaican village where my mother grew up.

Each morning I’d wake up early and retrace some of the steps my mother would have taken as a girl.  I’d stroll up the street saying good morning to many of the older folks, some related, some not, but represent the majority of those remaining residents in sleepy spot in the Jamaican mountainside.

My mother (and father) left Jamaica around 1956 and though she and my father took us back for brief visits throughout the years, I’d never really spent a lengthy amount of time here. We usually stayed in hotels in Ocho Rios, Kingston, Montego Bay or Negril.

Staying in this community during this vacation was a wonderful change of pace and I highly recommend it to those of you choosing to vacation in beautiful Jamaica.  Book any one of the stunning resorts for your stay but make sure to take a few days worth of tours through Jamaica’s communities.

When I celebrate my home, Toronto, I’m really celebrating the distinct communities where people live since it is these places–where people actually live–that make this region of Canada special.  Places like – High Park, Little Italy, The Beach, Riverdale, Lawrence Park, Leaside and Toronto’s surrounding communities like Oakville, Unionville and Markham are all the “ingredients” that make Toronto a delicious and memorable place to visit.

Here are a few images from our June 2009 trip:

3-Minute Video about New Urbanism

New urbanism is one of those concepts that can be difficult to grasp. It’s a term that’s not part of our daily conversation, yet its meaning is very much a part of what most people engage in every day.

If you go to work or are looking for work that you can afford to get to every day, you’re involved in new urbanism.

If you worry about the safety of your community, activity options for you, your kids, your family, recycling and other green living initiatives – you’re thinking about new urbanism.

I just came upon the Congress of New Urbanism’s 2009 Video Award winner and that’s exactly what it is – a winning definition for “new urbanism:”

Morning Walk to the Farmers’ Market

This morning I arose to all sorts of work to do for clients.  Speech to write, newsletter to edit and a few reports to complete. As I had just returned from a 1 1/2 day Seminar that was great but included lots of eating and sitting, I felt I was overdue for a good walk.

So…I pulled on my runners and set off for our neighborhood farmers’ market.  This local market is only open from May to October.  Our neighborhood essentially closes a portion of one of our streets (one that conveniently runs off of Main St.) and invites farmers, bakers, and other vendors to sell their fresh foods and goods. In addition to tasty, locally grown food, there is also live music. A great example of our community’s efforts to create a sustainable community where residents can buy local!

I picked up some pears and tomatoes this morning.

I thought I’d share my walk to the market with you today…

50-year Experiment with Sprawl is Ending

Well I’m excited.  Co-founder of the Congress of New Urbanism, Peter Calthorpe, has been hired by my town to design something he described to the Toronto Star (May 25, 2009) as being “the highest manifestation of transit-oriented development” that he has been involved in.

Wow.

“We’ve had a 50-year experiment with sprawl. Now it’s over.  Everything’s changing. There’s a huge demographic shift happening.  If you include externalities and subsidies, sprawl is not affordable.  The key to unlocking the potential is transit,” he adds.  Amen.

The new development, called Langstaff, is a new urbanism community that if all goes as planned will be built on a 140-acre parcel of land directly by our newest transportation hub.

That transporation hub is currently in existence and I use it from time to time when my husband needs the van (we are a one vehicle family).  It’s great for getting into the city and back home with no fuss or traffic.  The one problem is that it’s all bus transit.  What we really need is to extend the subway to this hub and that is in the works.

“If you want to get people out of cars,” says Calthorpe, “you’ve got to get them close to transit.  And transit must be there to support walkability, not the other way around. Destinations have to be nearby.”

As I always say, we want to live near to where we work and we can only work where there is affordable, clean transit to get us to and from home…FAST.

The new development Calthorpe will be designing will have 360 homes/units per hectare. Approximately 23,000 jobs will be located within this transportation hub community, once it is fully completed.

Just the thought of 23,000 jobs being created in the years ahead for this one pocket of my town seems almost unbelievable as we trudge through the current economic crunch.  But I’m not disputing the figures.  I absolutely see the possibility and it’s not just because I live in this growth community.

Smart developments that are sensitive to the environment and the needs of working people, attract more working people and more businesses!!

Where will many of these new employees live? Well, Lansgstaff will feature a new urbanism styled living community, laid out in small blocks with green parkland filling in the center of the development. Buildings will include a variety of popular living styles from townhouses to condo towers. This is similar to the higher density communities in our city to the south (Toronto).

I can’t wait for this to get going.  Time for me to start attending town meetings again sot hat I can put my voice behind the push to keep things on schedule (and on target).

Pictured in this story is my daughter and a friend in one of the wondeful new urban styled squares that were added to my end of town in recent years.

Urban Farming No Longer a Fad

I’ve been reading a lot lately about urban farming and the dream of consuming locally grown food.  Of course I like the idea but struggled with the notion that this was more a fad than a way of life.

My question has always been around the issue of sufficiency.  There doesn’t seem to be enough vacant land and roof tops to grow sufficient amounts of food for the local population of many urban centers.

The Hartford Courant just published an article that sheds some light on the issue of “sustainable” urban farming and the steps being taken to make the dream locally grown food a reality for resident’s of cities and towns across the county.

Read here.

Music and Food – The Spice of Life

I haven’t posted in the longest time and I apologize for that.  With one child at college, the other in high school, my job and business in over drive, and the beautiful city I live in giving me much to do, I haven’t had the time to share.

I’m correcting that today. I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who never fails to inspire and energize me–not with anything in particular, just with her life in general. Her husband, Levon Ichkhanian, is a former optician who decided to follow his life’s passion and become a musician and he is truly an amazing artist. Not only is he a successful recording artist but he is currently performing in the live production of Jersey Boys, which is playing in our city.

His music absolutely takes me away – to other countries and time zones, different periods in my life – just all over the place. If I sound a little spacey, I’m sorry but take a listen (you’ll hear different songs on the home page, so be patient) click here.

Last week another good friend of mine joined me for dinner at this lovely east Indian restaurant in our city.  One of the items on our menu was Sag Paneer.  I love this dish.  Basically it is a mixture of spinach and ricotta cheese that has been prepared with east Indian seasonings.  If you’re interested in spicing up your menu this week here you go.

Enjoy!

Freelancing a Proactive Move in this Tough Economy

As the media continues to profile people across the country affected by layoffs, the housing slump and overall financial strain, there is something you can do to feel other than helpless.

If you’ve got a business skill that is in demand in this market, think about offering your services as a freelancer.  Graphic designers, blog/website administrators, virtual assistants, accountants, event planners, meeting coordinators, marketing consultants, public relations specialists and editors are just a few examples of some of people that companies are looking for.

Recessions are a time for companies to be conservative with their hiring plans.  Many will choose to get work done through outsourcing so that they can conserve on the kinds costs associated with hiring full time people.

With freelancers there are no benefits to pay, no additional offices to set up–employers just pay for the hours you work or the projects you complete based on your agreed upon payment terms.

Even if you are working right now, it’s good insurance to freelance on the side, providing you’ve got the energy and interest to earn extra money in this way.

So many people have jobs that are too far away from home or too costly to maintain.  They want to work close to home or at home.  One solution is freelancing and this can be a temporary thing or a way to transition to a full time business (especially if you are currently working).

If you’re interested in getting starting with your freelance career I recommend you visit Shelancers.

Shelancers is a professional association for female freelancers offering job postings and membership services and resources.

Why “New Urban Mom”

I thought some clarification was needed about this site.  It’s called “New Urban Mom” because that’s the perspective I share.  I live in a “new urban” community (one that subscribes to new urbanism principles) and I happen to be a mom.

But this is not a site just for moms, it’s for everyone and anyone who is interested in new urbanism.

That said, I do want to ensure that I reach women and here’s why.  For too long the new urbanism mantra, campaign, movement, whatever you want to call it, has been couched in language that few understand except planners, graduate students or super engaged environmental or education advocates.

“Mixed use”, “high density” communities is not the kind of language we use in our everyday conversations but it is the language that has been used for 20 years to describe new urbanism neighborhoods.  Not very enticing.

Yet the new urbanism lifestyle is beautiful, green and extremely livable! These are the messages we want to share with the people who will be making the decisions to make new urban communities viable.

Women or moms make the “majority” of decisions in households when it comes to housing. For that reason alone I made a conscious decision to promote new urbanism in communities where women gather.

If we’re going to renew our large potentially rich urban centers and save our suburbs from becoming future wastelands we need to engage more women and men in casual conversations about the benefits of new urbanism and its role in building a new economy, lifestyle and livelihood for communities.

We need to encourage our civic leaders to make decisions that will make our communities and neighborhoods, green, walkable places that support local businesses, public transit and create welcoming spaces for residents to socialize and to get to “know one another.”

Finally a treat for you.  Here’s an interview featuring someone I consider a true visionary when it comes to re-imagining our cities in truly practical ways. I’m speaking of course of Richard Florida. I’ve written about him before in this blog, and I’m sure I’ll be mentioning him again and again. If you’re looking for some fresh ideas not just on how to apply new urbanism principles but on how to pull ourselves out of this recession and into a new economy, you’ll enjoy.  Click here to listen to this NPR interview.

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