FEATURE
Grosvenor
DIRTY IN THE CITY THE HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF URBAN GARDENS Just because you live in a tower in the sky, or in a bustling urban neighbourhood, doesn’t mean you can’t go and pick your own salad for lunch, or grab a few herbs and some tomatoes for your chef’s special spaghetti sauce, right from your own dirt. Benefits of gardening are well documented – it creates healthy food, involves people in active recreation for all ages, engages people in their community, provides mental relaxation, and creates green spaces for everyone to enjoy. In urban areas there are three main ways to get your hands in the dirt: community gardens on city land, community gardens in your strata, and balcony gardening. Indeed, space for urban gardening was written into the 30 New Home + Condo Guide | Apr. 3–17, 2021
development plan for the Olympic Village neighbourhood over twenty years ago. That project became a laboratory for how urban agriculture can be designed into high-density developments. In particular, it required shared garden plots for the residential units that lack access to balconies or patios of at least 100 square feet. Some of the larger patios and balconies included planters to provide residents with the opportunity to grow food. Cressey Development Group was at the forefront of this innovative approach to common spaces. “Our outdoor amenity spaces were created to provide residents with a chance to enjoy the outdoors and engage with one another,” says Jason Turcotte, Cressey’s Vice President
of Development. “Many of our projects include gardening plots for residents to grow their own vegetable and herb gardens. These spaces aim to foster a strong sense of community and give residents with a chance to enjoy their Cressey homes.” Cressey’s Format project, being built on Kingsway in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood, continues this Cressey tradition. The homes at Format all have access to a rooftop shared amenity space which features garden plots for residents to grow their own food or flowers. COMMUNITY CONDO GARDENS
“Urban gardening is a great way to create and support a thriving community,” says Panach Group’s Eshleen Panach. Their project