Lenore Newman | University of the Fraser Valley (original) (raw)
Journal Articles by Lenore Newman
Suburban Sustainability, Dec 21, 2014
A study of a restaurant cluster on the suburban fringe of Vancouver, Canada demonstrates how comm... more A study of a restaurant cluster on the suburban fringe of Vancouver, Canada demonstrates how commensality can play a role in the creation of more sustainable suburban environments sustainability by fostering a walkable suburban environment that encourages commensal behavior. With sixty restaurants within a few blocks of each other, the historic village of Steveston serves as an important site of social relations within the larger suburban community. Such a cluster supports the argument that commensality is an important component of the dining experience, and that the ability to eat together is a source of social capital to surrounding residents. The study showed the hub has developed fairly quickly over the last two decades, creating a varied and walkable space that is neither suburb nor downtown, supporting the thesis of city region development in which multiple hubs support a very large conurbation. These more walkable hubs suggest a possible direction for suburban development
Sage Open, Dec 10, 2014
A growing desire for local food systems has increased interest in peri-urban farming, leading to ... more A growing desire for local food systems has increased interest in peri-urban farming, leading to the rise of agriburban landscapes, in which a desire to farm or to be near farmland is a contributing factor to development patterns. Interviews and site visits to the Yarrow Ecovillage near Vancouver, Canada, outline an example of a development that allows new farmers access to land in a setting with few tensions between farming and non-farming residents in a zone on the edge of a protected agricultural region. Although there are limitations to replication of this model, we suggest that intentional settlements with an agricultural element on the rural/urban fringe could buffer traditional tensions between farm usage and residential usage, while allowing small-scale farmers a place to farm in areas with prohibitively high land values.
Archival work suggests that the Nanaimo bar is based on a recipe for unbaked chocolate cake publi... more Archival work suggests that the Nanaimo bar is based on a recipe for unbaked chocolate cake published in the Vancouver Sun in 1947 and republished in 1948. The bar itself was likely developed by a member or members of the Nanaimo Hospital Auxiliary, and the first known recipe was published in 1952 in that group’s cookbook. The mystery of the bar’s origins is explored, the bar's place within the tradition of ‘dainties’ is noted, and its current role within Nanaimo’s efforts at place making is documented.
Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies, Jun 12, 2014
Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rh... more Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rhythms of
movement within a city can help build topophilia, particularly if diverse rhythms bring together disparate groups,
creating spaces of urban encounter. Multi-rhythmic spaces can partly be a product of deliberate design; spaces of
overlapping rhythms create ‘space’ for spontaneous connections that can build a sense of community and social capital.
In contrast, spaces dominated by single rhythms can be dead spaces agood deal of the time, such as monochronous commuter corridors. Granville Island, Canada is given as an example of a designed space that facilitates both the movement of people in diverse ways at different times, and incorporates non-human rhythms as well. The space does,however, contain unconscious and invisible barriers created for diverse ethnic, income and ‘others’ that could be addressed with adaptive and deliberative planning for inclusion.
Local Environment, 2011
One of the stated missions of many farmers' markets and their advocates is to bring consumers clo... more One of the stated missions of many farmers' markets and their advocates is to bring consumers closer to their producers, providing enhanced social capital between the two groups, increased loyalty to local food producers and increased economic opportunity to those producers. Most markets also imply an environmental benefit from shopping locally through a reduction in food miles and thus a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions and resource use. To better understand this claim, farm-to-market distances need to be available in a clear, understandable and accessible way. This paper introduces food webs, a graphical representation of the distance travelled and the regional catchment for producers of urban farmers' markets, as demonstrated in British Columbia, Canada. The food webs show farm locations in an easily accessible manner, the degree to which farmers' markets are serving local food producers and the nature of those producers. The results show a large variation in distance travelled to markets and suggest that a critical examination of what “local” means in the context of farmers' market is needed.
Abstract: Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human... more Abstract: Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society's interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be ...
The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with ... more The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with an increasingly urbanising world. Building on previous discussions of nature/culture duality, an integrative framework is presented that argues for the embracing of the ‘mundane nature’ found within human landscapes. As over half of the human population interacts with nature primarily within urban landscapes, increasing our awareness of such spaces is critical to understanding our ecological consciousness. The examples of a recent rooftop greening bylaw in the city of Toronto and the social impacts of urban gardening are examined in this context.
Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged coopera- tion between multip... more Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged coopera- tion between multiple agencies and col- laboration between diverse actors. Given most of these projects are quite expen- sive and require extensive effort in a very small area, a “frog dilemma” emerges in which the ecological benefits might seem to not justify the resources required. How- ever such projects can bring significant ecological, economic and social benefits to urban areas, and aid in challenging the nature/culture divide. Two stream daylight- ing projects in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada are examined, the part- nerships needed to bring the projects to completion are explored, and the long term outcomes and prospects of the projects are investigated. Both projects required public/ private partnerships, high levels of commu- nity agency, and the more successful of the two projects includes an ongoing monitor- ing and education program.
As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally p... more As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally produced food is becoming increasingly popular. This includes a growing interest in the “ultimate zero carbon food” produced through urban growing. However, there are several barriers to an expansion of urban agriculture in North America; these include poor urban soils, a lack of knowledge, zoning restrictions, and personal time constraints that prohibit the investment needed to tend a small-plot intensive garden. This paper discusses two case studies (one in Portland, Oregon and the other in Vancouver, British Columbia) of assisted urban small-plot intensive farming. These initiatives involve entrepreneurs installing and tending small plots on participants’ land. The crops produced are either sold at local farmers’ markets or shared directly with the land owners. These efforts provide benefit in their own right but could also help speed the diffusion of urban agriculture; as examples of early “niche adaptation” both projects have strong educational components and are engaging a diverse demographic. In addition this approach with one urban farmer tending multiple plots could help address concerns over small plot carbon footprints that have been raised in the literature.
Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s... more Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be an ongoing process, not a goal. A sustainable society must constantly evaluate its relationship with nature as it adopts new innovations and encounters unexpected events. The role of feedback and suitable application of the precautionary principle are key elements of a dynamic sustainable development process. The example of nuclear waste management demonstrates the beginning of such a process.
In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dy... more In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dynamic process of working with the resources and information at hand. In order to sustain this dynamic interactive process, com- munities need to anticipate and respond to these dynamics and nurture their resilience in order to innovate and diversify. This is par- ticularly difficult for communities that are marginalized, dealing with poverty, homelessness, and addic- tion. However, social capital can be harnessed to create the commu- nity agency needed to foster sus- tainable development. This paper focuses on the ability of commu- nity networks to build social capital critical to the creation of the resil- ience needed to sustain communi- ties. It draws on a case study of a community-driven initiative taking place on the East Side of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, a community with very low levels of economic capital.
Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coincidi... more Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coinciding with a rising interest in local food systems and mixed-use planning in urban neighbourhoods. However, many cities have little or no urban street food due to historically strict bylaws, and in some centres, the move to relax the prohibition on street foods has been difficult. This paper examines the theoretical discourse surrounding street food and presents a case study of the city of Portland, Oregon, which is seen as a leader in the area of allowing a vibrant street food culture to develop. This study found that Portland's success is a product of both progressive municipal bylaws and intrinsic spatial and social qualities of the urban landscape. Lessons for cities trying to encourage a street food industry are discussed.
CuiZine, 2012
After a long period of decline, urban farmers’ markets are playing a revitalized role in food dis... more After a long period of decline, urban farmers’ markets are playing a revitalized role in food distribution in North America as interest in local food increases. Such markets can reveal underlying geographies of cuisine and culture in the surrounding neighbourhoods. Marché Atwater in Montreal, Quebec, was observed over several years in different seasons to study how the space interacted with the surrounding community. Marché Atwater was found to reflect and influence the sense of seasonality in the surrounding neighbourhood of Saint-Henri. The space served as a critical gathering point in a changing urban area and acted as a point of distribution for interesting food practices. A Pecha Kucha photographic presentation is presented to capture elements of the market throughout the year; and Pecha Kucha as a geographic technique is also explored.
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Jan 1, 2010
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologi... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologies to facilitate university-led transdisciplinary sustainable development research and lower the ecological footprints of such research projects. A series of case studies is to be explored. Design/methodology/approach -A one year project is conducted in which a series of research tasks are carried out on an online communications platform. Findings are compared to other examples from the literature. Findings -Online communication technology can be used to facilitate transdisciplinary research tasks, saving time, money and with less environmental impact than that of face-to-face meetings. However, in order for online collaboration to be successful the researchers must be very organized and have strong facilitation skills.
Community Development Journal, 2010
Research in Canada and Australia has shown that social capital is a necessary condition for susta... more Research in Canada and Australia has shown that social capital is a necessary condition for sustainable community development as it enhances linking ties that increase access to resources outside the community. Social capital in and of itself, however, is not always sufficient to sustain and develop local community initiatives, as infusions of economic and human capital are often necessary; the larger ‘social safety net’ can play a critical role in local community development initiatives. More importantly, government policy alignment may be critical to establish a stable environment within which organizations can sustain and increase the scale of their operations. Governments have a critical leadership role to play by re-aligning policies and incentives to complement the existing social capital network formation by strategically targeting their interventions at pivotal points in the evolution of local organizations to optimize their access to outside economic and human resources. The role of government is explored in a case study outlining the actions of a local community initiative in a marginalized neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada.
Sustainability, 2010
Community level action towards sustainable development has emerged as a key scale of intervention... more Community level action towards sustainable development has emerged as a key scale of intervention in the effort to address our many serious environmental issues. This is hindered by the large-scale destruction of both urban neighbourhoods and rural villages in the second half of the twentieth century. Communities, whether they are small or large, hubs of experimentation or loci of traditional techniques and methods, can be said to have a level of community vitality that acts as a site of resilience, adaptation and innovation in the face of environmental challenges. This paper outlines how community vitality acts as a cornerstone of sustainable development and suggests some courses for future research. A meta-case analysis of thirty-five Canadian communities reveals the characteristics of community vitality emerging from sustainable development experiments and its relationship to resilience, applied specifically to community development.
The question of scale has been of ongoing interest in the sustainable development discourse, part... more The question of scale has been of ongoing interest in the sustainable development discourse, particularly with regard to the size, geographical extent, and complexity of human systems. However, this consideration has not sufficiently informed the practical implementation of sustainable technologies and there remain echoes of historical debates over “small is beautiful” versus “bigger is better” that dominated environmentalism during the 1970s. The complex adaptive nature of social and ecological systems suggests that trying artificially to choose a scale for systems is the wrong approach. A properly managed system should self-organize to a scale that optimizes economic prosperity while respecting ecological limits. For this outcome to occur, however, we argue along the lines of Herman Daly for the effective use of macroeconomic tools. Though the specific form of these tools remains undefined, we draw on complex systems theory to suggest four possible properties based on the concepts of resilience and transformability. These properties are then applied to the food system to demonstrate the self-organization of scale.
Local Environment, 2009
Many brownfield development projects and many redevelopment projects aimed at improving older urba... more Many brownfield development projects and many redevelopment projects aimed at improving older urban spaces list sustainable development as a stated goal. It is a key question, however, whether the benefits of these redevelopment projects are equitablyshared with the original members of the community, and in the case of brownfieldswith residents of adjacent neighbours, or are there differential benefits that accrue tonew higher-income residents at the expense of current residents and retailers, and at the expense of existing community diversity? A case study of a brownfield development inVictoria, Canada, confirms concerns in the literature about income diversity in brownfield developments; a second case study of a Toronto neighbourhood suggests that there is no guarantee that local sustainable development projects within existing neighbourhoods will encourage or even maintain existing social diversity and equity. Asimilar trend is demonstrated in a series of infill projects that had profound ramificationson adjacent communities and indeed contributed to greater unsustainability in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is concluded that the relationship between sustainable development and gentrification is more complex than has been previously suggested.
Suburban Sustainability, Dec 21, 2014
A study of a restaurant cluster on the suburban fringe of Vancouver, Canada demonstrates how comm... more A study of a restaurant cluster on the suburban fringe of Vancouver, Canada demonstrates how commensality can play a role in the creation of more sustainable suburban environments sustainability by fostering a walkable suburban environment that encourages commensal behavior. With sixty restaurants within a few blocks of each other, the historic village of Steveston serves as an important site of social relations within the larger suburban community. Such a cluster supports the argument that commensality is an important component of the dining experience, and that the ability to eat together is a source of social capital to surrounding residents. The study showed the hub has developed fairly quickly over the last two decades, creating a varied and walkable space that is neither suburb nor downtown, supporting the thesis of city region development in which multiple hubs support a very large conurbation. These more walkable hubs suggest a possible direction for suburban development
Sage Open, Dec 10, 2014
A growing desire for local food systems has increased interest in peri-urban farming, leading to ... more A growing desire for local food systems has increased interest in peri-urban farming, leading to the rise of agriburban landscapes, in which a desire to farm or to be near farmland is a contributing factor to development patterns. Interviews and site visits to the Yarrow Ecovillage near Vancouver, Canada, outline an example of a development that allows new farmers access to land in a setting with few tensions between farming and non-farming residents in a zone on the edge of a protected agricultural region. Although there are limitations to replication of this model, we suggest that intentional settlements with an agricultural element on the rural/urban fringe could buffer traditional tensions between farm usage and residential usage, while allowing small-scale farmers a place to farm in areas with prohibitively high land values.
Archival work suggests that the Nanaimo bar is based on a recipe for unbaked chocolate cake publi... more Archival work suggests that the Nanaimo bar is based on a recipe for unbaked chocolate cake published in the Vancouver Sun in 1947 and republished in 1948. The bar itself was likely developed by a member or members of the Nanaimo Hospital Auxiliary, and the first known recipe was published in 1952 in that group’s cookbook. The mystery of the bar’s origins is explored, the bar's place within the tradition of ‘dainties’ is noted, and its current role within Nanaimo’s efforts at place making is documented.
Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies, Jun 12, 2014
Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rh... more Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rhythms of
movement within a city can help build topophilia, particularly if diverse rhythms bring together disparate groups,
creating spaces of urban encounter. Multi-rhythmic spaces can partly be a product of deliberate design; spaces of
overlapping rhythms create ‘space’ for spontaneous connections that can build a sense of community and social capital.
In contrast, spaces dominated by single rhythms can be dead spaces agood deal of the time, such as monochronous commuter corridors. Granville Island, Canada is given as an example of a designed space that facilitates both the movement of people in diverse ways at different times, and incorporates non-human rhythms as well. The space does,however, contain unconscious and invisible barriers created for diverse ethnic, income and ‘others’ that could be addressed with adaptive and deliberative planning for inclusion.
Local Environment, 2011
One of the stated missions of many farmers' markets and their advocates is to bring consumers clo... more One of the stated missions of many farmers' markets and their advocates is to bring consumers closer to their producers, providing enhanced social capital between the two groups, increased loyalty to local food producers and increased economic opportunity to those producers. Most markets also imply an environmental benefit from shopping locally through a reduction in food miles and thus a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions and resource use. To better understand this claim, farm-to-market distances need to be available in a clear, understandable and accessible way. This paper introduces food webs, a graphical representation of the distance travelled and the regional catchment for producers of urban farmers' markets, as demonstrated in British Columbia, Canada. The food webs show farm locations in an easily accessible manner, the degree to which farmers' markets are serving local food producers and the nature of those producers. The results show a large variation in distance travelled to markets and suggest that a critical examination of what “local” means in the context of farmers' market is needed.
Abstract: Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human... more Abstract: Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society's interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be ...
The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with ... more The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with an increasingly urbanising world. Building on previous discussions of nature/culture duality, an integrative framework is presented that argues for the embracing of the ‘mundane nature’ found within human landscapes. As over half of the human population interacts with nature primarily within urban landscapes, increasing our awareness of such spaces is critical to understanding our ecological consciousness. The examples of a recent rooftop greening bylaw in the city of Toronto and the social impacts of urban gardening are examined in this context.
Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged coopera- tion between multip... more Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged coopera- tion between multiple agencies and col- laboration between diverse actors. Given most of these projects are quite expen- sive and require extensive effort in a very small area, a “frog dilemma” emerges in which the ecological benefits might seem to not justify the resources required. How- ever such projects can bring significant ecological, economic and social benefits to urban areas, and aid in challenging the nature/culture divide. Two stream daylight- ing projects in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada are examined, the part- nerships needed to bring the projects to completion are explored, and the long term outcomes and prospects of the projects are investigated. Both projects required public/ private partnerships, high levels of commu- nity agency, and the more successful of the two projects includes an ongoing monitor- ing and education program.
As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally p... more As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally produced food is becoming increasingly popular. This includes a growing interest in the “ultimate zero carbon food” produced through urban growing. However, there are several barriers to an expansion of urban agriculture in North America; these include poor urban soils, a lack of knowledge, zoning restrictions, and personal time constraints that prohibit the investment needed to tend a small-plot intensive garden. This paper discusses two case studies (one in Portland, Oregon and the other in Vancouver, British Columbia) of assisted urban small-plot intensive farming. These initiatives involve entrepreneurs installing and tending small plots on participants’ land. The crops produced are either sold at local farmers’ markets or shared directly with the land owners. These efforts provide benefit in their own right but could also help speed the diffusion of urban agriculture; as examples of early “niche adaptation” both projects have strong educational components and are engaging a diverse demographic. In addition this approach with one urban farmer tending multiple plots could help address concerns over small plot carbon footprints that have been raised in the literature.
Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s... more Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be an ongoing process, not a goal. A sustainable society must constantly evaluate its relationship with nature as it adopts new innovations and encounters unexpected events. The role of feedback and suitable application of the precautionary principle are key elements of a dynamic sustainable development process. The example of nuclear waste management demonstrates the beginning of such a process.
In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dy... more In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dynamic process of working with the resources and information at hand. In order to sustain this dynamic interactive process, com- munities need to anticipate and respond to these dynamics and nurture their resilience in order to innovate and diversify. This is par- ticularly difficult for communities that are marginalized, dealing with poverty, homelessness, and addic- tion. However, social capital can be harnessed to create the commu- nity agency needed to foster sus- tainable development. This paper focuses on the ability of commu- nity networks to build social capital critical to the creation of the resil- ience needed to sustain communi- ties. It draws on a case study of a community-driven initiative taking place on the East Side of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, a community with very low levels of economic capital.
Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coincidi... more Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coinciding with a rising interest in local food systems and mixed-use planning in urban neighbourhoods. However, many cities have little or no urban street food due to historically strict bylaws, and in some centres, the move to relax the prohibition on street foods has been difficult. This paper examines the theoretical discourse surrounding street food and presents a case study of the city of Portland, Oregon, which is seen as a leader in the area of allowing a vibrant street food culture to develop. This study found that Portland's success is a product of both progressive municipal bylaws and intrinsic spatial and social qualities of the urban landscape. Lessons for cities trying to encourage a street food industry are discussed.
CuiZine, 2012
After a long period of decline, urban farmers’ markets are playing a revitalized role in food dis... more After a long period of decline, urban farmers’ markets are playing a revitalized role in food distribution in North America as interest in local food increases. Such markets can reveal underlying geographies of cuisine and culture in the surrounding neighbourhoods. Marché Atwater in Montreal, Quebec, was observed over several years in different seasons to study how the space interacted with the surrounding community. Marché Atwater was found to reflect and influence the sense of seasonality in the surrounding neighbourhood of Saint-Henri. The space served as a critical gathering point in a changing urban area and acted as a point of distribution for interesting food practices. A Pecha Kucha photographic presentation is presented to capture elements of the market throughout the year; and Pecha Kucha as a geographic technique is also explored.
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Jan 1, 2010
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologi... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologies to facilitate university-led transdisciplinary sustainable development research and lower the ecological footprints of such research projects. A series of case studies is to be explored. Design/methodology/approach -A one year project is conducted in which a series of research tasks are carried out on an online communications platform. Findings are compared to other examples from the literature. Findings -Online communication technology can be used to facilitate transdisciplinary research tasks, saving time, money and with less environmental impact than that of face-to-face meetings. However, in order for online collaboration to be successful the researchers must be very organized and have strong facilitation skills.
Community Development Journal, 2010
Research in Canada and Australia has shown that social capital is a necessary condition for susta... more Research in Canada and Australia has shown that social capital is a necessary condition for sustainable community development as it enhances linking ties that increase access to resources outside the community. Social capital in and of itself, however, is not always sufficient to sustain and develop local community initiatives, as infusions of economic and human capital are often necessary; the larger ‘social safety net’ can play a critical role in local community development initiatives. More importantly, government policy alignment may be critical to establish a stable environment within which organizations can sustain and increase the scale of their operations. Governments have a critical leadership role to play by re-aligning policies and incentives to complement the existing social capital network formation by strategically targeting their interventions at pivotal points in the evolution of local organizations to optimize their access to outside economic and human resources. The role of government is explored in a case study outlining the actions of a local community initiative in a marginalized neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada.
Sustainability, 2010
Community level action towards sustainable development has emerged as a key scale of intervention... more Community level action towards sustainable development has emerged as a key scale of intervention in the effort to address our many serious environmental issues. This is hindered by the large-scale destruction of both urban neighbourhoods and rural villages in the second half of the twentieth century. Communities, whether they are small or large, hubs of experimentation or loci of traditional techniques and methods, can be said to have a level of community vitality that acts as a site of resilience, adaptation and innovation in the face of environmental challenges. This paper outlines how community vitality acts as a cornerstone of sustainable development and suggests some courses for future research. A meta-case analysis of thirty-five Canadian communities reveals the characteristics of community vitality emerging from sustainable development experiments and its relationship to resilience, applied specifically to community development.
The question of scale has been of ongoing interest in the sustainable development discourse, part... more The question of scale has been of ongoing interest in the sustainable development discourse, particularly with regard to the size, geographical extent, and complexity of human systems. However, this consideration has not sufficiently informed the practical implementation of sustainable technologies and there remain echoes of historical debates over “small is beautiful” versus “bigger is better” that dominated environmentalism during the 1970s. The complex adaptive nature of social and ecological systems suggests that trying artificially to choose a scale for systems is the wrong approach. A properly managed system should self-organize to a scale that optimizes economic prosperity while respecting ecological limits. For this outcome to occur, however, we argue along the lines of Herman Daly for the effective use of macroeconomic tools. Though the specific form of these tools remains undefined, we draw on complex systems theory to suggest four possible properties based on the concepts of resilience and transformability. These properties are then applied to the food system to demonstrate the self-organization of scale.
Local Environment, 2009
Many brownfield development projects and many redevelopment projects aimed at improving older urba... more Many brownfield development projects and many redevelopment projects aimed at improving older urban spaces list sustainable development as a stated goal. It is a key question, however, whether the benefits of these redevelopment projects are equitablyshared with the original members of the community, and in the case of brownfieldswith residents of adjacent neighbours, or are there differential benefits that accrue tonew higher-income residents at the expense of current residents and retailers, and at the expense of existing community diversity? A case study of a brownfield development inVictoria, Canada, confirms concerns in the literature about income diversity in brownfield developments; a second case study of a Toronto neighbourhood suggests that there is no guarantee that local sustainable development projects within existing neighbourhoods will encourage or even maintain existing social diversity and equity. Asimilar trend is demonstrated in a series of infill projects that had profound ramificationson adjacent communities and indeed contributed to greater unsustainability in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is concluded that the relationship between sustainable development and gentrification is more complex than has been previously suggested.
Urban Sustainability: Reconnecting Space and Place, 2012
Agriculture & Human Values, 2018
This article builds on the food sovereignty literature to ask pointed questions about the interpl... more This article builds on the food sovereignty literature to ask pointed questions about the interplay of market forces and political liberalism. Specifically, we use cuisine as a lens to interrogate the assumption that multiculturalism is compatible with Indigenous food sovereignty. Because multicultural inclusion is the means by which Indigenous Peoples' gastronomies are commodified and alienated, they experience not gastronomic multiculturalism but culinary colonialism. Accordingly, food sovereignty in colonial contexts must embrace both the active sharing and the mindful withholding of food as political acts, and acknowledge that culinary culture is not simply a market commodity but also a politically-embedded process. In drawing together the threads of this argument, we advocate for a broadening of the discussion on Indigenous food sovereignty to include the resistance and resurgence enacted through gastronomy.
As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally p... more As worries over the environmental impact of the industrial food system grow the idea of locally produced food is becoming increasingly popular. This includes a growing interest in the “ultimate zero carbon food” produced through urban growing. However, there are several barriers to an expansion of urban agriculture in North America; these include poor urban soils, a lack of knowledge, zoning restrictions, and personal time constraints that prohibit the investment needed to tend a small-plot intensive garden. This paper discusses two case studies (one in Portland, Oregon and the other in Vancouver, British Columbia) of assisted urban small-plot intensive farming. These initiatives involve entrepreneurs installing and tending small plots on participants’ land. The crops produced are either sold at local farmers’ markets or shared directly with the land owners. These efforts provide benefit in their own right but could also help speed the diffusion of urban agriculture; as examples of ...
In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dy... more In a changing and unpredictable world, sustainable community development is less a goal than a dynamic process of working with the resources and information at hand. In order to sustain this dynamic interactive process, communities need to anticipate and respond to these dynamics and nurture their resilience in order to innovate and diversify. This is particularly difficult for communities that are marginalized, dealing with poverty, homelessness, and addiction. However, social capital can be harnessed to create the community agency needed to foster sustainable development. This paper focuses on the ability of community networks to build social capital critical to the creation of the resilience needed to sustain communities. It draws on a case study of a community-driven initiative taking place on the East Side of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, a community with very low levels of economic capital.
Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rh... more Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rhythms of movement within a city at different times and in diverse ways help to generate this sense of topophilia within urban spaces. Multi-rhythmic spaces are partly a product of deliberative design; spaces of overlapping rhythms create room for spontaneous connections that can build a sense of community and social capital. In contrast, spaces dominated by single rhythms are "dead spaces" a good deal of the time, such as monochronous hollowed out downtown cores or commuter corridors. Granville Island, Canada is given as an example of a designed space that facilitates both the movement of people in diverse ways at different times, and incorporates non-human rhythms as well.
Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged cooperation between multiple... more Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged cooperation between multiple agencies and collaboration between diverse actors. Given most of these projects are quite expensive and require extensive effort in a very small area, a “frog dilemma” emerges in which the ecological benefits might seem to not justify the resources required. However such projects can bring significant ecological, economic and social benefits to urban areas, and aid in challenging the nature/culture divide. Two stream daylighting projects in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada are examined, the partnerships needed to bring the projects to completion are explored, and the long term outcomes and prospects of the projects are investigated. Both projects required public/private partnerships, high levels of community agency, and the more successful of the two projects includes an ongoing monitoring and education program.
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019
Large-scale food system practices have diminished soil and water quality and negatively impacted ... more Large-scale food system practices have diminished soil and water quality and negatively impacted climate change. Yet, numerous opportunities exist to harness food system practices that will ensure better outcomes for human health and ecosystems. The objective of this study was to consider food Production, Processing, Access and Consumption domains, and for each determine the challenges and successes associated with progressing towards a sustainable food system. A workshop engaging 122 participants including producers, consultants, consumers, educators, funders, scientists, media, government and industry representatives, was conducted in Perth, Western Australia. A thematic analysis of statements (Successes (n = 170) or Challenges (n = 360)) captured, revealed issues of scale, knowledge and education, economics, consumerism, big food, environmental/sustainability, communication, policies and legislation, and technology and innovations. Policy recommendations included greater investme...
Land Use Policy
British Columbia’s (BC) Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is one of the earliest international exam... more British Columbia’s (BC) Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is one of the earliest international examples of legislated agricultural land preservation through land use regulation. This article reports on an analysis of the efficacy of the reserve in southwestern BC, the most densely populated area in the province, since its inception over forty years ago. The results indicate that the ALR has been relatively successful in protecting farmland, though a concerning five-percent of the original reserve has been lost in the study area. A discussion of existing explanations of ALR loss and an alternative explanation are provided. It is argued that competing perspectives on private and collective interests are central to understanding the successes and failures of the ALR reserve system. Some policy recommendations are provided.
Local Environment The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability, 2018
Originating in the UK in 2006, the Transition movement is oriented to local grassroots citizen-le... more Originating in the UK in 2006, the Transition movement is oriented to local grassroots citizen-led efforts that prepare for and support a societal energy transition to a low-carbon future in response to climate change, peak oil, ecological degradation, and economic instability. Overlapping significantly with relocalization, degrowth/slow growth, local food, and related movements, and based on permaculture principles and a distributed network model, it embraces the opportunity to turn crisis into an opportunity to build more resilient, convivial, and vibrant local communities, declaring that “if it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable”. The Transition approach has spread rapidly around the world, including initiatives in over 100 communities and cities in Canada. This paper reports on the methods and results of a Canadian community-based research study aimed at understanding how and where the movement has taken root across the country, what Transition practice looks like, challenges and o...
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 2016
In light of climate change, resource depletion and environmental degradation, food system vulnera... more In light of climate change, resource depletion and environmental degradation, food system vulnerability, and food insecurity, the potential to address issues of food system sustainability on local and regional scales is being increasingly recognized and pursued. Bioregions, generally defined as areas that share similar topography, plant and animal life, and human culture, represent an appropriate and consistently applicable scale and framework for sustainable food system analysis, design, and planning. As such, for a southwest British Columbia (SWBC) bioregion food system design and planning project, our first task was to delineate
Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rh... more Topophilia, or love of place, has been described as a desirable outcome of urban planning. The rhythms of movement within a city at different times and in diverse ways help to generate this sense of topophilia within urban spaces. Multi-rhythmic spaces are partly a product of deliberative design; spaces of overlapping rhythms create room for spontaneous connections that can build a sense of community and social capital. In contrast, spaces dominated by single rhythms are "dead spaces" a good deal of the time, such as monochronous hollowed out downtown cores or commuter corridors. Granville Island, Canada is given as an example of a designed space that facilitates both the movement of people in diverse ways at different times, and incorporates non-human rhythms as well.
Material Culture Review Revue De La Culture Materielle, 2013
As urban cores in Canada and the United States revitalize and repopulate, interest in street food... more As urban cores in Canada and the United States revitalize and repopulate, interest in street food is resurgent as well. However, despite a strong demand for lively public spaces complete with an exciting diversity of street food, most cities are wrestling with a half-century's accumulation of rules and regulations designed explicitly to prevent street vending. Overturning the attitude that streets are for car traffic rather than for public food consumption is not easy; success has been mixed and highly location-specific. This chapter discusses three case studies: the failure to introduce a street food programme to Toronto, Ontario; the ongoing and, to date, successful staged introduction of street food in Vancouver, British Columbia; and, finally, the unusual success of street food in Portland, Oregon. The authors will conclude with policy recommendations outlining how Canadian and American cities can transition from street food-hostile environments to regulations that encourage...
Anshuman Khare
As concern grows over the predicted global peak in oil production and the potential impacts of gl... more As concern grows over the predicted global peak in oil production and the potential impacts of global climate change, interest in our society's future energy prospects has grown. The stakes are high: modern society is wholly dependent on a constant and reliable supply of electricity, gas, and liquid fuels. Energy is absolutely central to our economic and social survival. Disruption of this supply very quickly brings our economies and societies to a halt.
Environments, Jul 29, 2010
International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2013
Local food has been championed as a sustainable alternative to the industrial food system for man... more Local food has been championed as a sustainable alternative to the industrial food system for many reasons, including a perceived environmental benefit through an expected decrease in the energy needed for transport from farm to market. The environmental benefit of local food, however, has been clouded by questions surrounding the energy footprint of small–scale distribution methods that do not enjoy economies of scale. Several studies have found local food to be as energy intensive as imported food due to very inefficient ...
Journal of Rural Studies, 2015
Post World War II suburban growth in Canada and the US has created concern over the long-term ava... more Post World War II suburban growth in Canada and the US has created concern over the long-term availability of farmland to meet food production needs. Subsequent efforts to provide legal protection to agricultural land continue to shape the development of the fringes of nearby urban areas. This paper employs the concept of "agriburbia," suburban landscapes in which agriculture maintains a significant presence, to investigate the relationship between peri-urban farmland preservation efforts and local food movements. Through a case study analysis of Vancouver, British Columbia's suburb of Richmond, we assess the impact of a strict agricultural land use restriction on urban development. We highlight a dialectic between rural and urban that includes fruitful interactions between large-scale and commercial agriculture, small plot agriculture, and local food movements in both the agriburb and its neighboring city.
