PLACEMAKERS: Activating the Food System Through Urban Agricultural and Community Spaces for Newcomers in East Calgary

Abstract

The suburban neighbourhoods of East Calgary have experienced tremendous growth in population over the last fifteen years due to recent immigration trends to the city. Sense of identity and overall well-being of resident newcomers are often challenged upon migration; however, effects are significantly intensified by the spatial issues of their sprawl-afflicted urban environment. The thesis proposes to activate the food system – a holistic time- and place-based process from production through to consumption – to establish social anchoring for newcomers and effectively regain their sense of place and belonging. This is achieved through the implementation of a network of urban farms, markets, and community cooking, dining, and educational spaces into East Calgary’s urban waste areas. The result is such that not only can newcomers share culturally-rich food among each other and with members of the larger society, but also play a collective role in the revitalization of urban public space and community life.