Parks and Fruit Trees
When we begin to develop a plan for a city, we need to develop a vision of what that city should look like and all too often we pay too little attention to Nature and green spaces as we begin the urban planning process. We compound this oversight by not paying sufficient, if any, attention to food security issues.
For example, we build roads and railways so that food can be transported to the city but we don't plant apple or other fruit trees in our parks or other community spaces.
Planning is carried out, as though, it was acceptable for people to go hungry or that it is perfectly acceptable for food to travel thousands of miles to reach our tables. If the planners were intent upon creating Healthy Cities then they give some thought to incorporating community gardens, common spaces and livestock into the planning process.
Saint John Relocalization Network
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October 17th, 2006
Fruit Tree Projects
Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is a very backwards way of thinking that seems to dominate how urban spaces have been planned and sadly continue to be planned. I agree with you that we should be planting more fruit trees in public spaces. Vancouver has trees lining nearly all streets which is nice in that it creates some much needed greenspace.
Most of the fruit trees tend to be found on people's property ie. backyards, gardens etc - and of those, much of the fruit that grows ends up being wasted. There are some programs that try to take advantage of those fruit trees in people's backyards that have been largely successful. One of my colleagues has recently launched a fruit tree project and the University of British Columbia.
Here are some links to Fruit Tree Projects around North America:
Vancouver Fruit Tree Project
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/fruit/
Victoria, B.C.
http://www.lifecyclesproject.ca/initiatives/fruit_tree/
Hamilton, Ontario
http://www.environmenthamilton.org/eatlocal/fruittree.htm
Portland, OR
http://www.portlandpeakoil.org/cs/the_neighborhood_fruit_tree_project
Los Angeles County - TreePeople
"For the past 21 years, TreePeople has addressed this problem by distributing free fruit trees in underserved communities. Since 1984, TreePeople’s Fruit Tree program has distributed approximately 60,000 plum, peach, apricot, fig and nectarine trees to community groups, schools and churches."
http://www.environmenthamilton.org/eatlocal/fruittree.htm
October 17th, 2006
Thanks
Greetings and thanks for the links. I'd like to see projects like these spread across the country. It could be a good way to bring people together to discuss other local issues.
let Nature be your guide. www.communityrenewal.ca