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Canada: New West to explore boulevard gardens and other urban gardening initiatives

Gardening enthusiasts gathered in August 2017 to celebrate the official opening of the new community garden on the front lawn of New Westminster City Hall.Cornelia Naylor/File

The motion stated the climate crisis will continue to impact food security in the community and noted that not all community members have access to space to grow their own foods.

By Theresa McManus
New West Record
Sept 1, 2021

Excerpt:

New Westminster is digging into the idea of growing food – and community connections – through urban gardening initiatives like boulevard gardens.

At its Aug. 30 meeting, council unanimously supported an urban farming motion put forward by Coun. Nadine Nakagawa to have the city create and implement policy to support and encourage the climate crisis equivalent of victory gardens, with these gardens to include forest gardens and orchards, pollinator pastures/bee hotels, compost systems, foraging opportunities and rainwater harvesting. The city will consider underutilized spaces such as boulevards, industrial rooftops, multi-family common areas and conversion of street space.

Nakagawa said the parks and recreation department is already working on initiatives as part of the city’s food security plan, but she believes that needs to be bumped up in priority.

“With the impending climate impacts, we are going to have a lot more food-insecure people,” she said. “Beyond all that, the bigger opportunity here is actually community-building spaces and lots of different spaces.”

Nakagawa said her Brow of the Hill apartment building is an example of a place where a boulevard could provide space for gardening and opportunities for residents to meet their neighbours.

Read the complete article here.