Latest news with #communitygardens
Fast Company
17 hours ago
- Fast Company
City planning without permission
When I worked as a corporate consultant, I had access to all sorts of enterprise software packages that would've been cost-prohibitive to most people, but that didn't stop me from trying out free programs. Especially if it meant I could dabble in someone else's area of expertise without getting permission for a software seat license. If you're an armchair urbanist or moonlight as a community activist, you know how important it is to maximize your impact with limited time. I've been there, I'm still there, and I can help. There's a treasure trove of free web tools online related to urbanism. I don't know of anyone using all of these all the time, but I use some of these every week. Use these resources to demonstrate expertise in your amateurbanism work. 'Amateurbanism' is not a dig at people who aren't working professionally in planning, design, or engineering. As someone who gets paid to plan and implement great street networks for all ages and abilities, I want amateur urbanists to be equipped for conversations and presentations about creating happy, healthy communities. Google Maps Many earthlings have used Google products, and the satellite views and street views are great ways to ground a conversation about project sites and travel routes. I find that a lot of people don't realize Google Maps has drawing tools, so you can illustrate proposed locations for community gardens, protected bike lanes, festival street closure areas, etc. This is ideal for location-based projects. Google Earth Google Earth brings in the 3D visualization of terrain and buildings. You can model things like where a new playground structure could fit in a park, granny flat additions in backyards, or simulate the changes brought by a proposed rezoning. The measurements also help with space planning. OpenStreetMap Anyone can add overlooked details like accessibility obstacles, safety concerns, parking availability, EV charging infrastructure, and much more to OpenStreetMap. This is a great tool to engage your email list, organization members, or friends. Your team can generate maps that reflect your knowledge and pro-community bias. Envision Tomorrow This is a scenario planning tool funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It models the impacts of growth and development scenarios on factors like land consumption, transportation habits, greenhouse gases, and affordability. If you're comfortable with Google Maps, you'll be fine here. You might use Envision Tomorrow to analyze or critique a zoning ordinance, downtown revitalization plan, or transportation plan. Walk Score You've probably heard of the site that evaluates neighborhood walkability based on proximity to everyday destinations. (They also include bike and transit scores.) This helps assess site accessibility when reviewing development proposals to advocate for community needs like locating affordable housing near transit. But it's also a great conversation starter at a county or city level. Realtors love this reference and so should you. Streetmix Streetmix is collaborative street design between residents and city planners. You can model traffic-calming measures, sidewalk expansions, and storefront space. If it's a great neighborhood street idea, it's designable in Streetmix. highway lighting versus pedestrian lighting sharrows versus bike lanes multiuse paths versus sidewalk–bike lane combos right-sized vehicle lanes versus deadly-sized vehicle lanes I can't overhype Streetmix. They make it shockingly simple to expose the silliness of Departments of Transportation (DOTs) while inspiring alternatives to the same old junk infrastructure. Canva Canva turns you into a professional designer. Their templates, graphics, and text options are more than you'll ever need for slide decks, reports, social media content, and memes. Use Canva for outreach campaigns, events, ideas, and causes. In fact, stop reading this post, open Canva, and make something. SketchUp SketchUp is a powerful 3D modeling tool, but does have a learning curve. I've seen it used for park proposals and streetscape ideas for public meetings. But my favorite is when developers use it to illustrate the not-too-scary density of commercial buildings and multifamily housing. UrbanSim If you're comfortable with GitHub and coding, then UrbanSim might be a playground for you. The models begin with detailed data about a region, and then estimate and validate interconnected model components. Public agencies and consultants use this to model how land use policies and transportation changes could impact housing affordability, environmental sustainability, traffic patterns over time, and more. The core platform is open source. It's a higher learning curve, but I thought it was worth including.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Composting helps the planet. This is how to do it, no matter where you live
Most of what goes into landfills is organic waste, ranging from household food scraps to yard trimmings. That's a problem because in that environment, organic waste is deprived of oxygen, which helps break material down. The result: the release of a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Consumers can curb their environmental impact by composting, which helps break material down in ways that reduce the release of methane. This can be done whether someone lives in a home with a yard or in an apartment without outside space. Composting also alleviates pressure on landfill space and results in a nutrient-rich substance that help soil. Robert Reed, with the recycling and composting company Recology, said that applying compost makes soil better at retaining moisture, which makes it resilient against droughts, wildfires and erosion. For people who want someone else to compost their food scraps, some local governments offer curbside pickup. Otherwise, nonprofits, farmers markets and community gardens often fill that gap. Companies in some areas also will pick up the food waste to be taken away for composting for a fee. For those who want to try composting at home, here's how to get started. If you've got a yard Composting doesn't necessarily require much space. Even 4 square feet — roughly the size of a standard office desk — can do the trick. Common receptacles include open wooden bins or large barrel-shaped tumblers that you can rotate on a metal rod. Free-standing piles also work. Some people follow a strict schedule of turning the pile, often with a hoe or shovel, or adding to it regularly. Backyard composting typically relies on microbes to break down the waste, which can bring a pile's temperature up to 130-160 degrees Fahrenheit (54-71 degrees Celsius). Others follow a more passive approach. Experts break the composting recipe down into four main ingredients: water, oxygen, nitrogen-rich 'greens' (food scraps, grass clippings) and carbon-rich 'browns' (cardboard, dead leaves, shredded paper). Typically compost has two or three times as much 'brown' material as 'green.' The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends against meat, bones, dairy, fats and oils in backyard compost piles because they typically don't get hot enough to fully break them down, and because they're more likely to attract pests. The agency also says to steer clear of treated wood, glossy paper, pet waste and compostable dishware or bags. Experts say composters can experiment with what works and what doesn't. Rodale Institute Senior Farm Director Rick Carr said he's tried animal products and just about everything in his household. Hair from the hair brush and fully cotton swabs break down great. Cotton T-shirts? Not at all. 'If you're unsure if it'll break down, put it in there and you'll find out,' he said. The bacteria and fungi feed on the pile of organic waste and turn it into compost. The finished product looks like moist, dark soil. The EPA says a well-tended pile can produce finished compost in three to five months, while a more passive pile that doesn't reach high temperatures may take up to a year. Bob Shaffer, who owns a company called Soil Culture Consulting, said that for him, the process can take closer to nine months, but it's easy to tell when it's finished. 'When you look at compost, what you should not be able to see is, oh, there's a leaf. There's that carrot top that I put in there 10 months ago. You shouldn't be able to discern what the material is,' he said. Common pitfalls Most composting problems happen when the ingredients get out of whack. One way to make sure you've got the right balance of 'greens' and 'browns' is a 'squeeze test,' by reaching into the pile and grabbing a handful then letting it go, said Nora Goldstein, editor of the organics recycling magazine, Biocycle. 'If it just kind of crumbles off your hand, it's too dry. If you squeeze and get a little bit of drips, it's a little wet. But what you want is to squeeze it, let it go, and have kind of a coating on your hand.' When the pile gets too dry, the composting process slows down or stops. The answer: Hose it down or add more food scraps. Another common problem is the opposite: there isn't enough air, or there are too many nitrogen-rich 'greens.' The first sign of trouble is when the compost pile smells. That typically means the microorganisms are dying and the pile is releasing methane, like in a landfill. The solution: stir the pile to get more air inside and allow it to cool down. Then add some cardboard or paper. A pile that's too wet can also attract flies, maggots and rodents. 'As long as you're mixing in enough amendment or browns, you'll stay out of trouble,' Goldstein said. If you lack outdoor space Composting indoors is possible through what's known as vermicomposting, a process that relies on worms. People can buy premade worm bins, make their own out of untreated wood or use plastic storage bins with a few modifications, according to the EPA. The containers should have tight-fitting lids and keep out the light. Only certain types of worms will work, and they can be obtained from a worm grower or a neighbor who's already started vermicomposting. Goldstein said that the process isn't always easy: 'You really have to know what you're doing.' Instead of relying on microbes, worms feed on the carbon- and nitrogen-rich organic matter. They poop out almost-black castings. That's the finished product. The EPA says it takes about three to six months, which can be faster than backyard composting. They can create a more nutritious end product than in traditional compost. But Goldstein said that it can be tricky to ensure conditions are right for the worms. 'You want to make sure those worms are very happy, because if they're not, they will leave the bin. And they're not harmful, it's just a little freaky,' said Goldstein. Traditional composting, whether indoors or outdoors, is typically a process that takes place over months, not days, Goldstein said. Electric countertop devices that promise to break down food in hours or days don't use the same process. Goldstein said those devices produce material that can be used in gardens, but it's 'not completely broken down' and should be mixed with soil. Caleigh Wells, The Associated Press
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘It helps a lot': Winnipeggers save grocery bills by growing own produce
CTV's Harrison Shin takes a closer look at some of the community gardens blooming in Winnipeg, and how it's helping address food insecurity.
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Community gardens blooming in Winnipeg
Winnipeg Watch CTV's Harrison Shin takes a closer look at some of the community gardens blooming in Winnipeg, and how it's helping address food insecurity.
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
$20m upgrade for TAC HQ targets working parents, access, inclusion
A school zone for working parents to bring their children before and after school is one of the new features a planned $20m upgrade will deliver for workers at Transport Accident Commission's Geelong headquarters. The property's owner, listed $20B real estate funds manager Centuria Capital Group, plans to refurbish the 60 Brougham St building, delivering a suite of new facilities to encourage people into the office, improve its environmental credentials and hopefully win a new lease after 2029. The additions include a gymnasium with an indoor sauna, a cold recovery room and multipurpose room for pilates or yoga; and end-of-trip facilities such as showers, 180 lockers and parking for 80 bicycles. Gender-neutral toilets, a multi-faith room for reflection or prayer, multiple parents rooms with private spaces including microwaves, changing areas, wet areas and various forms of seating are designed to foster inclusion, while the school zone will be fitted with televisions, reading areas and desks. The refurbishment will upgrade the 16-year-old facade by removing panel cladding and coloured boxes around windows; install a new entrance lobby, upgrade bathroom facilities on each floor, including new dedicating facilities for people with a disability; and add a ground floor business hub and meeting areas. The dormant Corio St retail precinct will have new landscaping, seating and decking, while community gardens and event spaces will maximise other outdoor spaces, including barbecue facilities on the refreshed level five balcony. Head of funds management Jesse Curtis said Centuria wants to make the building 'best in class' and bring 'Park Hyatt luxury to Geelong', with full electrification and targeting a minimum 5.5-star NABERS rating, a 6-star Green Star rating and a WELL Gold rating. 'We've had numerous examples where we've been able to refurbish buildings and retain tenants, and they've been extremely happy and occupied our buildings for a very long period of time,' Mr Curtis said. The upgrade was planned for the past five years ago, but was delayed by Covid, he said. The refurbishment comes as the TAC considers its next building lease in Geelong when its current lease expires in 2029. While remaining at 60 Brougham St is one option, there's still competition including from approved multistorey office projects within Geelong's CBD. Centuria has a $7B office portfolio across Australia and New Zealand, which focuses on suburban and campus-style buildings, such as the TAC headquarters. The new spaces at TAC are part of a reworking of the building's floorplates to improve efficiency. 'What we've seen across our portfolio – this is probably more general than specific to TAC – is people's use of space is changing,' Mr Curtis said. 'People aren't necessarily taking less space, they're just changing the way they use the space. 'So where we can create a one-stop shop, where you have a gym and different outdoor areas, communal spaces and the ability to collaborate in different ways, or bring that family and home life to be a little more flexible, we're starting to change the way we use our buildings right across our portfolio.' The project is still in planning phase, but work is expected to start in the second half of 2025. 'We're anticipating minimum disruption to our occupied during that period.'
