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Why do we actually live in cities? That question was posed by architect Carolyn Steel during the “Agriculture in an Urbanizing Society” conference I attended in Wageningen, Netherlands from April 1-4th. According to Steel, “we live in cities because rural livelihoods are no longer viable, but who produces the food?” Although the modern city provides a multitude of opportunities, we are now on our way to creating a negative feedback loop that is more visible in the global North than South – we are ignoring what fuels our society: Food.

So what do we do? Obviously, de-urbanisation is out of the question. We are now left to acknowledge the rural-urban continuum and the interconnectedness of agriculture at the regional level.

Enter food systems planning. Food systems planning has emerged in the last decade as a discipline and paradigm. It has derived itself from the fact that cities cannot ignore food. However, it doesn’t just stop there. Planning for food involves cultivation, provision, processing, and distribution, which are all part of the value chain.

Without the legitimisation of urban agriculture, spaces like this former garden will be lost to infrastructural development

 The American Planning Association has put out a useful overview of what food systems planning takes into account:

• Preserve existing and support new opportunities for local and regional urban and rural agriculture;
• Promote sustainable agriculture and food production practices;
• Support local and regional food value chains and related infrastructure involved in the processing, packaging, and distribution of food;
• Facilitate community food security, or equitable physical and economic access to safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sustainably grown food at all times across a community, especially among vulnerable populations;
• Support and promote good nutrition and health, and;
• Facilitate the reduction of solid food-related waste and develop a reuse, recovery, recycling, and disposal system for food waste and related packaging.

Right now, around the world, local governments and urbanites are trying to understand their own urban food systems by adopting many of those principles. One important aspect of this is the actual provision of land for cultivation within the city limits. As one previous SCI Intern who worked with urban agriculture told me “this is a land issue, an agricultural issue.” And because urban agriculture involves land, it also becomes a highly political issue with the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders.

Dar es Salaam is contributing largely to planning the regional food system through the provision of zones that will be use for purely agricultural purposes. The acknowledgement that agricultural land needs to be protected is a major step towards creating a more sustainable regional food system. For those of you familiar with British Columbia’s agricultural politics, the future urban agriculture zones in Dar resemble something similar to the Provincial Agriculture Land Commission’s Agricultural Land Reserves, for better or for worse. In theory such land should not be used for any other purpose than agricultural production.

Nonetheless, a simultaneous paradigm shift must occur in the way urban space is valued. Although there has been monumental progress towards the inclusion of agriculture within the city limits, land use generally favours industrial, commercial and residential purposes. According to a municipal agriculture and livestock extension officer: “….It is a kind of ignorance. I say this because Dar es Salaam is among the cities in which are expected to be considered as a sustainable city, but any sustainable city must have a component of urban agriculture. But for them they don’t understand that. [Council leaders] think that a sustainable city by only having buildings EVERYWHERE… and petrol stations!”

After speaking with a variety of stakeholders ranging from the national level to the grassroots level it is clear that agriculture is now on the political agenda and on the minds of planners, however, there is still a long way to go. Regardless of the present and future barriers, food systems planning allows us to move beyond asking ourselves why we live in cities to asking ourselves just how we are going to do it.

This morning, a packed room of network members from around the world took part in a pre-symposium session that looked at an area of the urban economy often hidden from planning’s view: informal livelihoods. We heard from three very different cities – Vancouver, Porto Alegre (Brazil), and Durban (South Africa) – about how they interact with the informal economy taking place in their downtown cores.

Following the presentations, the group had a great exchange of experiences supporting informal livelihoods. Participants asked questions about financing social enterprises, discussed the pros and cons about formalizing the informal economy, and shared ideas about engaging informal workers who rarely get involved in traditional planning processes.

While many different solutions were offered, one cross cutting theme was the need to meet people where they are; the best results came from working with the informal sector in their space and on their time, and focusing on what they bring to the community rather than how they can fit into our idea of where and what the community should be.

The day ended with an inspiring visit to United We Can, Vancouver’s inner city recycling social enterprise. Founder Ken Lyotier showed the group around the bustling recycling collection centre and shared the basic lessons he learned from his fifteen years running the social enterprise, “There is a lot more going on than just money crossing the counter. We build a community here, people talk to each other. And then they talk to the people outside when they go out in the streets. Human relationships are built between human beings face to face, after all.”

What an energizing start to the week!

Follow us! @cities2cities @metrovancouver  #SCI2012

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Durban is all it’s cracked up to be. I spent the nights of my first African summer months doing my best to feign sleep before I borrowed a roommate’s fan. I buy fresh produce from the friendliest farmer’s market-esque street vendors and shop owners, the beach front is beautiful, the highways are lined by leafy canopies and I can get a smile out of most everyone I see. It’s a far cry from Canada in the winter time!

My work at Imagine Durban is moving along well as I approach the halfway point of the internship. I feel like I have been able to form solid working relationships with my colleagues (who crack me up on the daily) and am enjoying steering a couple of great demonstration projects in the townships and within the city centre. A large focus of these projects is working with youth in a park revitalization program and with marginalized communities in a social housing intervention project. Both of these projects utilize multi-stakeholder engagement processes in township communities with a strong focus on community engagement as a key component of the project process.

On a recent weekend I spent a Saturday in a workshop organized for 25 beneficiaries of the social housing project mentioned above. The workshop was with residents of the first wave of low-cost housing that was rolled out in South Africa’s eThekwini Municipality in the mid-nineties. These 25 residents, from toddlers to Gogos (Grandmothers), engaged with facilitators throughout the morning and afternoon to talk about their houses and the practical housing interventions that could be performed on their homes to improve their quality of life. I feel the process demonstrated well to all involved how much value and depth multi-stakeholder community engagement can give a project. This kind of participatory engagement goes a long way towards increasing community ownership of a project/idea/legislation, etc. and helps to create long-term project sustainability through a better rounded and informed approach to various well intended projects and initiatives led by official organizing bodies.

Many projects are conceptualized and implemented by (but not limited to) non-profit organizations, social enterprises and government bodies from around the world with the aim of improving the lives of individuals and communities. From what I have read, seen and experienced here in Durban and at home in Canada, improving the level and quality of community consultation and participatory processes used in these projects will go a long way towards better, more informed projects and intended outcomes.

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One of the main structures upon which the Philippine culture stands is religion and spirituality. The strong belief systems which influence those who practice religion and/or spirituality have an effect on the way natural environments and resources are used.

During my first couple of months living in San Fernando (La Union), The Philippines I have observed instances where beliefs are being used as reasoning for the poaching of sensitive species. My first encounter with this was during World Wetlands Day on February 2nd, 2012. The city government as well as a neighbouring municipality and the national government held a community stakeholders meeting on, and inspection of a pawikan (sea turtle) coastal breeding habitat. Even though the meeting was held in the local language Ilocano, I was given translations by a local not for profit organizer. The people present at this meeting included government officials, not for profit organizations, youth and local fishermen from different generations. A young local fisherman who had found a nest of eggs the previous week and reported it was being questioned about how many eggs he had truly found. Through the series of questions and a number of awkward pauses he admitted he had kept a few of the eggs himself to give to his children because they were sick.

Sea turtle

It is very common in the region to believe that certain animal products have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. This includes sea turtle eggs, balut (matured duck egg/embryo), sea urchin and oysters. In the case of this indicator species, the sea turtle, this belief driven behaviour has become an issue as less sea turtles are laying there eggs along the shoreline and of those laid many are being poached for sale or consumption.

The City of San Fernando through the Environment and Natural Resource Office and the Philippine Department of Natural Resources are conducting IEC (information, education and communication) throughout the coastal barangays (neighbourhoods) where livelihoods depend upon the oceans products and within elementary and high schools where education is being infused with environmental protectionism and sustainability concepts. In the marine protected area of barangay Poro, there is an ongoing livelihood project that supports a fisherman’s cooperative in sustainably breeding and harvesting sea urchins. Before this project, one of the local sea urchin species became extinct in the area and the other species were threatened. Since the inception of the ‘sea urchin grow out culture project’ many sea urchins have successful been harvested and long-term benefits are foreseen by the fisherfolk.

This exact model would of course not be successful for all species/natural products but the true success lies in the adaptation to the culture’s beliefs and therefore desired products, the communication of important concepts such as the relationship between livelihoods and environmental sustainability, and the community based management approach. I believe there will be a decrease in the poaching of sea turtle eggs once an understanding of sustainable resource use becomes more widespread.

sea urchins

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Foleni is Kiswahili for traffic, and it is a word that you will know well if you live in or visit Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. The majority of Dar’s 5 million residents travel by public transit or on foot, but car use is on the rise and traffic rules often seem like just a suggestion. If you think biking in Montreal or Toronto is a challenge, you should come to Dar where its not just taxis or streetcar tracks you have to deal with but dala dalas (minibuses), bajajs (auto rickshaws), cars, various street vendors, and pedestrians.

One way in which Sustainable Cities International is promoting non-motorized transportation in Dar es Salaam by supporting Fasta Cycle Messengers. Fasta is a co-op of cyclists who deliver packages and letters around Dar es Salaam by bicycle. All Fasta members also members of Umma Wa Wapenda Baisikeli (UWABA), an organization that promotes cycling in Dar es Salaam and advocates for increased safety and awareness of cyclists. UWABA is involved in a number of events and activities in Dar es Salaam, including the annual Cycling Caravan. Last year’s Cycling Caravan attracted more than 400 participants. UWABA also provides safety education to Dar es Salaam cyclists.

Raechel Kayeye – Fasta Cycle Messenger

Fasta currently has twelve customers and is hoping to increase these numbers in the coming months through additional promotion and marketing. There is definitely a market for a bicycle messenger service in Dar es Salaam. The current postal system does not deliver door-to-door, so anyone who wants to send packages to specific locations has to use a courier service. Most courier services in Dar are internationally-owned and motorized, where as Fasta is local and only operates with bicycles. Fasta cycle messengers can avoid traffic jams, so packages are delivered on time. If you are a cyclist you know that foleni is rarely a problem on a bike. Fasta is also a socially responsible choice – customers who choose to send packages with Fasta are decreasing their carbon footprint and supporting non-motorized transportation. Finally, Fasta is a co-op so all revenue goes directly to operating costs and salaries for the previously under-employed members.

Fasta training seminar

 Fasta is an energetic and organized group of young people who are building their capacity and gaining the skills needed to run an effective and sustainable business. Over the last two years, members of Fasta have improved their English language skills, computer processing skills, accounting abilities, and their ability to engage government institutions and secure quotations for training. I am writing this blog post from Fasta’s marketing training course, where they are currently undertaking a two-day training course that will give them the skills and understanding needed to generate an effective and realistic strategic marketing plan.

It is our hope that with increased promotion and marketing, Fasta will soon be a trusted name in package delivery in Dar es Salaam. This Valentine’s Day someone even sent flowers to their special someone with Fasta, so who knows what’s next. That’s all for now from Dar, take your bike for a spin for me and avoid the foleni.

Fasta vest and logo

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I think it’s the first time of my life that I am living in a city which can describe itself in the first place as a touristy destination. Even if Cabo San Lucas with its Arch and Hollywood stars is the most popular city for Canadians and Americans, and even Mexicans looking for sun and sandy beaches, San José del Cabo, just 35 km from Cabo San Lucas and part of the same municipality of Los Cabos, is also very popular. As such, big part of the city is designed for tourists coming for one week in an all inclusive resort in the “Zona Hotelera” (hotel zone) which characterizes itself with big hotels, broad streets, perfect green areas, well planted trees and broad sidewalks – among other things that might make people from abroad see San José as a well planned and developed middle-sized city.

Tourism is the base of the local economy here, and as such, Los Cabos doubled its population between 2005 and 2010, attracting migrants from all over the country to work in big hotels and other commercial activities dedicated to foreigners.

Many times, when a big project is on the table in terms of urban planificiation, tourists are among the first ones to be served by the changes to be made in the city. It is often said that “we want them to stay at least one day more in San Jose or San Lucas” (to nurture the local economy).

It is crazy for me to discover how those people, who often don’t even say a word of Spanish (and many times don’t even try, grrrrr….!!!), who come here for one week, and sometimes, don’t even get out of their fancy beach hotel, who often don’t even get to know the market and the real Mexican way of life with its music, its locals dishes served at the corner of the streets at night etc, it’s crazy to see how these people, without even trying to, without even knowing it, are taken into account in decisions that are going to affect locals on a day to day basis.

As I was doing surveys in the streets to found out about transportation customs of the population, I tried a few times to have tourists opinions (for only a few minutes of their precious time)…but was always rejected with a “No, thanks”.  On the other side, Mexicans were always open to answer the few questions I had for them. This experience made me feel ashamed of where I come from, and realize how cold we are sometimes. But here is not the point….

The fact that tourists and thus the aesthetic aspect of the city are so well taken into account sometimes make engineers and key deciders prioritize the “beautiful” over the “practical”…In this regard, I have been disturbed by the chaos that I need to face every time I come to a roundabout…..Here, when you come to a roundabout, sometimes, if you are lucky there will be a stop sign, pleasing you to at least come slowly…and see with eyes contact or feelings who (you or the one already in the circle) has to pass by first…but most of the time, stop sign or not, everybody arrives high speed and not knowing who should go first…..So even if those roundabouts are circular, well planted and look nice in those touristy areas, they don’t seem to be working at their best capacity….so I am questioning the fact that tourists and locals get to enjoy “nice things” over practical ones and how this mix in priorities can have a bad influence on urban planification as a whole….even if San José del Cabo is a small paradise pleasing me everyday with its waves, whales, sun, cactus…and crazy sunsets among many other things that make me want this internship to last forever!

By Afton Halloran, Agricultural Development MSc student, Ole Fryd, Assistant Professor, Forest and Landscape, and Jakob Magid, Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, University of Copenhagen

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Copenhagen’s urban gardens and urban agriculture projects have achieved a steady increase in popularity in both the media and at the grassroots level. The projects are situated in places like Prags Boulevard, Otto Krabbe’s Square and in Ørestad. There is a great interest in the way that these projects create social relationships, build capacity and strengthen communities in urban areas. They also help to create green spaces in the city and provide children and adults with experiencing the origin of their food from a close range.

But, when we compare with other places in Europe and North America it is clear that there is untapped potential to grow vegetables in a large scale within Copenhagen. This potential is difficult to realize with the authorities’ current interpretation of the regulations.

Precautionary Principle, Justified?

Current laws are based on a precautionary principle, which assumes the existence of an environmental risk until proved otherwise. Specifically, this precautionary principle assumes that it is dangerous to eat foods that are produced within urban areas, as all urban soil is deemed contaminated. These assumptions are highly questionable – firs, because contamination in soil does not always transfer to the edible components of plants, and second because the amount of food that individuals can produce currently in the city represents a tiny fraction of total food intake.

In areas where there has been industry and small businesses, the risk is elevated for levels of heavy metals and organic contaminants. We know that only very low levels of these substances are transferred from soil to plant parts above ground. We can control the transfer of heavy metals to plant roots by creating a soil environment where the pH is neutral, which can be achieved by liming. And organic compounds in the soil, such as pesticides, are only a problem if they have just been added. Overall, the total pollution that urban agriculture can absorb from the ground is minimal – especially when compared to the pollution that comes from the air from traffic and from dust.

Across the world we grow a good portion of our vegetables near major roads, airports and other transport infrastructure. Before the food product reaches the consumer, it may be exposed to different types of airborne contamination. The question is whether there really is any real difference between the amounts of pollution found in lettuce grown in our cities, and those that you can buy in stores. What are the risks of eating a small percentage locally grown vegetables from the city compared to what we otherwise eat? What are the risks of eating vegetables that have been exposed to air pollution, compared with the pollution we ingest daily through breathing the air in cities? The authorities have simply not addressed this.

A Reasonable Risk

Evidence suggests that we city dwellers breathe much more dirt and filth than we consume in our food itself. And the bulk of the pollution we are getting into the food comes from the air, not from soil. Is it reasonable to adopt such a rigid interpretation of current regulations and prohibit cultivation in the city because it is assumed that the soil is toxic? Unlike traffic pollution, no cases of illness due to contact with the soil have been reported in Copenhagen.

Isn’t it reasonable to run a negligible risk in order to achieve the satisfaction and quality of life that urban agriculture provides? We think yes!

Instead of using the precautionary principle to address urban soil contamination, we should rather use more common sense in our decision-making supported by robust holistic risk assessments. We should focus on addressing issues of site suitability rather than using blanket policies. It requires some work to consider the urban soil on a case-by-case basis, but it is a practice that has already been happened in Copenhagen over the past years. Civil society organizations and urban farmers have been saying: Don’t raise your voice too high if you don’t want to be hindered by the rules and regulations that govern such projects. But should projects as such be half hidden to avoid being affected by the current laws? Isn’t it better to deal constructively with the obstacles to the implementation of urban agriculture and make it more accessible for everyone?

At present community members are encountering too many barriers and their enthusiasm can easily fade. Copenhagen has a very high standard when it comes to quality of life and urban environment. But with regard to urban agriculture, it paradoxically seems that the standards are so high that they block environmental initiatives from being implemented.

Why is Copenhagen lagging behind when so many cities around the world are realizing the importance of urban agriculture? If we want urban agriculture, then we must dare to think and act in new and innovative ways. We must have a balanced dialogue on the benefits and risks. Otherwise, ‘business as usual’ will continue to inhibit the development of both our environment and our society.

Never before has the need for transformation to more sustainable living been so widely recognized and accepted. The future really is in cities, as they are the smart place to create change!

For the past two decades, SCI has built the capacity of cities to address the complex challenges of sustainability through approaches that look at urban systems in an integrated way. We anticipate that 2012 will be a year in which SCI increases its ability to support local authorities in putting their long-term sustainability visions and strategies into action. Moving from problem-solving to more effective collaborative actions is key. We are excited about the opportunities new forms of multi-level and multi-layer collaboration will bring in the year ahead.

To all our Member Cities – mark your calendars and join us for our SCI Network Annual Symposium being hosted by Metro Vancouver on April 30-May 3. Hope to see you all there!

Jane McRae

CEO

Sustainable Cities International

follow Jane on Twitter! @JaneMcRae

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During my internship at IPCo, my project ‘Accessible Colima’ focused on understanding accessibility in Colima’s public spaces, predominantly for people with disabilities. Colima, like many cities, lacks accessible infrastructure limiting inclusivity in the city and reducing mobility for many individuals.

One aspect of the project included understanding the perception of accessibility, disability and universal design in Colima. I developed an interactive public event to be held in various public gardens throughout the historic city centre. Armed with only a box of coloured chalk, myself and, a local architecture student interning at IPCo, headed off to gardens in Colima to attempt to better understand how accessibility, disability, and universal design are perceived. Participants of all ages were encouraged to complete a phrase written on cement in the gardens using sidewalk chalk.

Phrases included:

• A disability is not “___”
• For me, accessibility in the city is “___”
• A space with universal design has  “___”
• A person with a disability I know is  “___”
• Universal design is  “___”
  

  Disability is not "___"

Almost 200 children, youth and adults participated, including the current mayor, Ignacio Peralta Sánchez. Though this process, a number of conclusions were established:

1. Participants of all ages see the need for accessible public spaces in Colima. Approximately 97% of people surveyed through an informal chalk tally believed that Colima needs gardens and parks that everyone can enjoy.

2. Generally, participants perceived people with disabilities in a positive light. Responses to the phrase a disability is not… included: a disability is not… “a reason to make fun”, a disability is not… “an impediment to achieve your dreams”, a disability is not… “a means to feel worse about yourself”, a disability is not… “a reason to not live”. At the same time, however, there were still a small number of negative responses that demonstrates the ongoing need for programming that promotes an inclusive and accessible city regardless of an individual’s physical or mental disabilities.

3. The term ‘universal design’ was a virtually unknown concept for participants. As it is a technical term this is understandable, however when I explained what universal design or accessible infrastructure entailed and then ask participants for an example of infrastructure that could be implemented in Colima’s public spaces, almost all of the participants said, ‘ramps’. This is not surprising as ramps are already a staple on street corners throughout the city. Apart from ramps however, it was difficult for participants to think of another piece of infrastructure or design technique that would enhance accessibility in public spaces.

So what does this mean for Colima? Participants recognize the importance of inclusive and accessible spaces in Colima, but many do not understand what infrastructure is needed to create these spaces.

During the next phase of Accessible Colima, Alejandra Perdomo, one of the new Sustainable Cities interns, will be hosting visionary workshops that will engage youth and people with disabilities to imagine an accessible future for Colima’s public spaces.

My hope is that one aspect of the workshops will be an educational component, allowing participants to better understand universal design and its guiding principles. Some would argue that this is not true public participation, as IPCo is attempting to educate participants to see things in a certain light. I believe, however, that participants who fully understand the concepts of accessibility and universal design will be able to create a more holistic vision for an accessible Colima that extends beyond constructing ramps and includes individuals with all types of physical and mental disabilities.

With this deeper understanding of the perception of accessibility, disability, and universal design, IPCo can begin to develop a strategy for increasing accessibility in Colima’s public spaces.

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As a fully licensed, (almost) accident free, nine-years-experienced Canadian driver, the rules of the road in Dakar remain a mystery to me.

By all accounts, this dusty West African city has been without functioning traffic lights for the past ten years, attributable to a combination of frequent electricity outages, lack of maintenance by the City, and traffic lights as the unfortunate target of political demonstrations against the government. In the result, encounters on the road often seem to involve a dangerous game of vehicular chicken, where rights of way are unclear or ignored and the ‘winner’ is the one who brakes last. Add to this a rapidly-expanding population, infamous traffic jams, open and overflowing sewers, sandy streets, fickle electricity, packed busses, haphazard construction jobs, billowing clouds of smog, and garbage, garbage, everywhere, and you get the capital of Senegal.

I love it. While it is nothing like my uber-clean West Coast Canadian hometown, every day in Dakar is a study in stimulation and sensory overload. Taking public transportation, where you’ll often find yourself packed in like sardines and lurching along pot-holed streets while baking in 35+ºC heat, is one of the most invigorating experiences my sheltered North American life has known. The region’s population continues to grow as people flock to the city from the countryside – adding more stress to already-stretched infrastructure, services, and resources, not to mention more challenges for the City’s urban planning department. I have been working in that department for the past six months, learning about how urban planning happens (or doesn’t) at the municipal level in Dakar. And I have been fascinated by how traffic is regulated (or isn’t) in this city.

Traffic regulation and attitudes have, I can only assume, been adapted to accommodate for the absence of working traffic lights. In 2010, Dakar’s new Mayor started a nominally compensated “volunteer” program for five hundred unemployed Dakarois youth, aimed at getting them off the streets and working on projects for the City. One such project is directing traffic at lightless intersections, a role which is shared with the national police force. This system does work effectively, but only under the following two important conditions: a) volunteers or police are actually stationed at intersections, and b) they at least attempt to direct traffic, rather than simply observing the relative insanity all around them. Unfortunately, the ideal combination of these conditions is not consistently met. And so ensues the thrilling ‘game’ of vehicular chicken.

In the context of a project funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the City is working to create an automated, centrally managed traffic lights system, the on-site side of which involves re-erecting traffic lights throughout the city. For the past few months traffic lights, complete with pedestrian signals, have been appearing on street corners, but few save those in the downtown core are as yet functional. The inner skeptic in me thought these lights might have little impact on traffic flows in Dakar, unfamiliar as they are in this city and easily swallowed up in the cacophony of sights and sounds that dominate here. My inner skeptic was fabulously wrong. In my limited experience with the downtown’s functional traffic lights, they are being respected by drivers, and I watch in eager anticipation as the network expands into other neighbourhoods.