Vancouver Public Space Network » Leg-in-Boot Square

Addressing food insecurity… with a convivial community fridge

VPSN — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 01:33:40 +0000

There are all sorts of ‘sharing shelves’ that you can find in public spaces nowadays – from the many free little free libraries around Vancouver, to community toy boxes, to neighbourhood herb gardens and baking ovens, to low-cost sharing initiatives like the Thingery.

Now here’s another take on the idea: a community fridge. Julia Gellman, a Masters student at UBC, explains: “the concept of a community fridge is that people leave what they want and take what they need . It’s a place to exchange food for free. Like a lending library, but more delicious.” Community Fridges have been around for a while, with several popping up in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver in response to the pandemic.

Over the past few weeks, Beth Dempster at Convivial Café (680 Leg-in-Boot Square) has been collaborating with a student group that includes Julia, fellow students Erica Ellis, Kelly Chessman and Kelly Davies, and CityStudio. The intent in piloting the Community Fridge is to help address food insecurity and food waste in the False Creek South neighbourhood. While Convivial is not a “public space” per se, Julia notes that “the fridge is available for anyone to come in and take/leave food, without purchasing anything.”

Milk, cheese, fruit and veg… healthy food available in the Community Fridge for anyone who needs it.

As Julia notes: “With 1 in 9 households in BC experiencing food insecurity, and 40% of food produced being wasted or lost – it’s clear that there is a gap in our local food system… The pandemic has demonstrated that countless individuals are also keen to support those in need. The Community Fridge project aims to enhance and amplify such mutual aid.”

The Community Fridge pilot project will run until Dec 25, and will engage community to support public access to food resources. Stop by and check it out!

For feedback or questions about the fridge, please contact Beth at Convivial Cafe (convivialcafe@gmail.com). For feedback, questions or general resources on community fridges – or to start your own community fridge – check out this website or contact: risingtides604@gmail.com.

With files and photos courtesy of Julia Gellman.

Story updated on December 23, 2020.

Coming up: False Creek South workshops on Public Space, Transportation and more

VPSN — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:01:43 +0000

As noted in our last newsletter, the City of Vancouver is currently working on a new community plan for the False Creek South area, a neighbourhood that stretches from the Burrard Bridge to Cambie Bridge.

As part of this, they are holding workshops devoted to different planning themes. There are a few that will be of particular interest to VPSN members, including sessions on public space and transportation. False Creek South is home to an intriguing and important array of spaces, such as Leg-in-Boot Square, Charleson Park and Sutcliffe Park (among others). These parks and plazas, and the many paths that connect them, will need to be a key component of any future plan for the area.

Registration for the 2018 False Creek South workshop series is now open, and you can contact City staff to sign up for one or more sessions.

Public Realm & Open Space, Wednesday, January 10 (5 – 8 pm)
Transportation, Wednesday, January 24 (5 – 8 pm)
Housing, Saturday, January 13 (9:30 am – 12:30 pm)
Character & Urban Design, Saturday, February 3 (3:30 – 6:30 pm)

:: Register for a workshop – online here or by calling 604-829-2015.

:: City of Vancouver False Creek South Planning Program webpage

:: VPSN Blog: False Creek South neighbourhood planning process launched (May 30, 2017)

Share your favourite place in False Creek South

VPSN — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 18:04:13 +0000

As we first wrote back in May, the City is embarking on a neighbourhood planning process in False Creek South. As part of this process, they’re looking for your feedback on the places that define the assets, values, and unique qualities of the neighbourhood. They also want to hear about the places you feel could be changed to improve the neighbourhood. To help with this they’ve launched a digital mapping tool.

This is a good chance to share your thoughts on the public spaces in the area – Leg-in-Boot Square, Charleson Park, or the other intriguing spaces that can be found. What do you love about them? What needs to be strengthened or enhanced? Check out the website and share your ideas.

:: Main link – http://falsecreeksouth.engagingplans.net/places