Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
place leads to more stable, longer-term urban ecological restoration projects that have
greater relevance to the local community. According to restorationists working in the
City of Toronto's Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department, setting aside the time
and resources for partnership building when constructing a restoration plan, is an im-
portant part of the development phase that is often missed and is difficult, if not im-
possible, to insert later when the project is already running (Kim Stratham, pers.
comm.; see chap. 6, this volume).
5
According to Lorraine Johnson, a restorationist working in Toronto, local organi-
zations or community groups often have closer ties to the community around them
and are able to communicate and share information through channels that are un-
available to larger agencies or groups (Lorraine Johnson, pers. comm.).
6
Creating
partnerships and providing the resources for local groups to take the lead on projects
allows more local people to become involved in the decision-making process within
an urban restoration project. The Alex Wilson Garden, located in a high-traffic area of
downtown Toronto, is a unique example of a community-driven restoration project
where partnership with local people from diverse backgrounds led the way. Johnson,
who documented the success of the garden, admits that, although the processes of cre-
ating and maintaining the garden were not always easy, the garden is thriving pre-
cisely because members were directly involved from the beginning. The ownership
and responsibility that local residents felt about the garden resulted in a successful
green space that is flourishing under the long-term stewardship of its neighbors. John-
son (2002) writes that the feeling of ownership and the responding care are direct re-
sults of the site representing the values and interests of the local caretakers.
Combining Restoration with Community Development
Combining restoration with community development allows for a participatory activ-
ity that positively influences both the social and the natural capital of a community
(see chap. 15, this volume). Making community development an active part of urban
ecological restoration has allowed Evergreen to work with the cultural and economic
concerns of a community—the vital priorities that interact with a local, urban ecolog-
ical restoration project (Kelly Krauter, pers. comm.).
7
Evergreen's programming con-
nects community development with urban ecological restoration by offering space, re-
sources, and opportunities to learn about the connection between food, the land, and
larger environmental issues (Rebekka Hutton, pers. comm.). By working on issues
that directly affect people's lives, such as food security, access to safe and clean green
spaces for recreation and areas to meet, and connecting these issues to ecological res-
toration, Evergreen is able to increase the relevance of urban ecological restoration to
people and encourages increased involvement, particularly from racialized people.
For example, Evergreen discovered that many people in the Mount Dennis neighbor-
hood of Toronto had grown up around one of the largest green spaces in the city, yet
they had never spent recreational time in the park (Rebekka Hutton, pers. comm.).
Having the perception that the park was unsafe, or unclean, residents stayed away and
did not provide input in developing the uses of the park. Through a community gar-
