EXPLORATION & ANALYSIS ANALYSIS HUNGER IN THE CITY Relieving Homelessness in Moss Park with Accessible Urban Agriculture MOSS PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD PROFILE DARKER COLOURS REPRESENT HIGHER OCCURANCE TORONTO, ONTARIO St. James Cabbage DESIGN INTENT DARKER COLOURS REPRESENT HIGHER OCCURANCE NEIGHBOURHOOD PROFILE Town town St. James Regent Park Cabbage Moss Park Town town East of Yonge ThisEast of project is an exploratory look into Moss Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto that faces significant development pressures Yonge Regent Park NEIGHBORHOUDS COMMUNITY SPACE GREEN SPACE HEALTH PROVIDERS and socialMoss Park issues. With some of the highest rates of unemployment and population density in the city and a significant homeless population, it presented itself as a perfect case study to explore the role of urban agriculture as a means to create safeNEIGHBORHOUDS and accessible areasCOMMUNITY where SPACE individualsGREEN SPACE can improveHEALTH their PROVIDERS food security, social connections, employability and food literacy. The project explores different forms of urban agriculture in locations which the community has identified as under- used. By creating green connections and accessible gardens the goal is to create a design that is available and accessible to all people physically and socially. YOUTH POPULATION TOTAL POPULATION SOCIAL ASSIATANCE STUDENT NUTRITION MOSSYOUTH POPULATION PARKTOTAL POPULATION SOCIAL ASSIATANCE STUDENT NUTRITIONGOALS AND OBJECTIVES SOCIALGOALS & OBJECTIVES SHERBOURNE HEALTH PARKS REGENT PARK REDEVELOPMENT MOSS PARK - Creation of accessible public space CENTRE RESIDENTIAL LAND USE PLAN COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONAL - CommunitySOCIAL integration of homeless population EMPLOYMENT 1 into public- Communityspace integration of homeless population into public - Improve neighbourhood food security & nutrition ALLAN GARDEN RIVERDALE FARM - Unify homeless space resources ONTARIO COALITION PRECEDENT - Facilitate- positiveImprove social neighbourhood interactions and disbandfood security & nutrition ANISHNAWBE HEALTH AGAINST POVERTY stereotypes- Unify and stigma homeless resources - Use food- asCreation starting point of accessible to improve mental public and space FRIENDSHIP CENTRE physical health - Facilitate positive social interactions SEATON CENTRE - LONG - Use food as starting point to improve mental and physical TERM CARE FACILITY ENVIRONMENTAL health ECOLE GABRIELLE-ROY SALVATION ARMY 5 - Create new accessible green space and connec- tions throughout the community - Provide ENVIRONMENTALa variety of urban agriculture opportunities that can be- Create accessed new and green managed space by existing and connections throughout the homeless services community and the public. - Provide a variety of urban agriculture opportunities that can be 3 6 accessed and managed by existing homeless services and the 8 INFRASTRUCTURE public. 4 - Provide accessible public spaces to homeless individualsINFRASTRUCTURE & residents 9 - Facilitate urban agricultural practices such as greenhouses- Provide and raised accessible planting beds public which spaces can to homeless individuals be accessed- Facilitate all year long urban and which agricultural is physically practices such as greenhouses accessibleand to all raised individuals planting beds which can be accessed all year long - Establish a green connection between parks and - Establish a green connection between parks and revitalize ocated in Parkdale, Toronto, an area where 45% of people live in poverty, revitalize streetscape with small design intervention the West End Food Co-op (WEFC) is a not-for profit co-operative group 7 streetscape with small design intervention that is compiled of many stakeholders in the community including those Lwho eat, produce and work. The goal of the co-op is to create food security in Toronto’s west end neighborhoods by meeting the areas specific needs. (West End Food Co-op, 2014). The organization acts through several channels ECONOMIC including a farmers market, community cannery, a food mapping project ECONOMIC and a co-op store front located on Queen Street. An integral part of the co- - Increase economic opportunity within the FOOD BANK SOCIAL HOUSING op is the drive for food security, to enable those in the community to make 2 community- Increase through employment, economic job opportunity training within the community healthy decisions about their food, and give them the resources to access it. and businessthrough development employment, centered around job training food and businessHEALTH development CENTRE SCHOOL productioncentered and services around food production and servicesEMPLOYMENT AREA COMMUNITY CENTRE “(Its) A tool to help poor people access healthy food” - Bob Rose, Former Parc Director SHELTER EXISTING PARK SPACE The Food Co-op store opened in 2012 beneath the Parkdale Community SOURCES USED Health Centre. This location was a deliberate choice in the hopes to bring together two community-oriented organizations to work together towards UNDERUTILIZED AREAS ~ DESIGNED AREAS “Barrier-free Community Gardening in the Waterloo Region” Kristin Ross, student placement, Masters of Social Work, food security for their neighborhood. The community mapping project engages people year round by encouraging a discourse among community Wilfred Laurier University. members on the topic of food security. Community members are encouraged “Best Practices for Universal Design.” (2005) Sacramento Transportation & Air Quality Collaborative. to share their personal struggles with food and map their neighborhood and what they would like to see changed. This information is collected and then distributed in a community wide newsletter, spreading the conversation. OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTSSUITABILITY MATRIX URBAN AGRICULTURE MATRIX School 3 Planting Health & 1KM Programs 430m BENEFITS OF Trees Wellness Homeless 1KM1KM 430m430m 1KM1KM1KM CSA 430m430m430m 1KM1KM1KM 430m430m 1KM650m Education Engagement 430m430m430m 1KM 430m 650m650m URBAN 650m650m650m 650m650m 650m650m650m 650m Cooking & Job Training/ AGRICULTURE Composting Nutrition Community Creation Farmers STRENGTHS Classes Organization Market 582 M 582 M582 M 582 582M 582 M M AFF 582 582M M 582582 M 582M M 582 M AFF AFF AFFAFFAFF AFFAFF AFFAFFAFF WALKABLE DISTANCES: Ammenities are fairly close to each AFF PROMINENT & ACCESSIBLE PARKS: Parks and gardens are TRANSIT CONNECTION: There are a variety of modes of trans- Health other and can be accessed on foot, creating equal abundant in the four neighbourhoods. Varying in size and portation available to inhabitants. Each resident in no further opportunities to all inhabitants. type the provide a range of activities and uses. than a ten minute walk to a bus, street car or subway stop. Access to healthy food Food-health literacy Healthy eating Physical activity WEAKNESSES Social Empowerment NEGATIVE REPUTATION: In the regions of Moss Park and FOOD SCARCITY: Within the neighbourhoods there is a NEIGHBOURHOOD ISOLATION: Within the site context there Regent Park there is a negative reputation surrounding the scarcity of affordable food retailers such as super markets, are many different housing styles which are segregated from Youth development public spaces causing people to avoid them. which typically provided lower cost food. others limiting connection between the various communities. Food Security Safe Spaces Intergrated aging Economic OPPORTUNITIES Economic stimulation Job growth ENGAGED COMMUNITY: With a thriving and connected REDEVELOPMENT: Regent Park is undergoing redevlopment VARIETY OF SERVICES: There are a variety of homeless community there is greater possibility to engage people in to replace old infrastructure. The redevelopment creates in- services from meal programs to shelters. This presents many the project and help develop it to their needs. terest and positice affect will be felt in the wider community opportunities to collaborate with extablished programs. Job readiness Affordable food Ecological Awareness of food ecology Stewardship CONSTRAINTS Conservation Soil improvement EXISTING GARDENS: With various community gar- STIGMA: The stigma towards homeless individuals is over- VARIETY OF SERVICES: On the other hand, with the dens all ready existing how do we set apart new urban whelming everywhere. It presents a challenge as people abundance of programs , would a new project be accepted ? agriculture practices as well as making them known. disengage from public places that the homeless inhabit. This may constrain the project by having to ‘compete. Biodiversity .