Information:
Project developed collectively between residents at 255 and 251 Donald St. (Ottawa), students, instructors, and partners connected to the courses Community Engaged Design (Fall 2023) and Building with Communities (Winter 2024) at Carleton University.
Courses Coordinator and Instructor: Natalia Escobar Castrillón.
Community Partners: Ottawa Community Housing and the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Center.
Selected quotes from the community consultations undertaken by undergraduate students between September and December 2023 :
“I rent out a plot in the comunity garden. I grow local vegetables from my home country. i reminds me of home. I have met people from my country this way since they are the only ones who recognize these vegetables.”
“I used to have a garden plot but then I had to give it away because the gardens aren’t very accessible for me”
“There are many territorial issues between us. Having smaller planters are great since more planters means less fighting”
“More outdoor seating would be nice..the picnic benches are very uncomfortable, I’m always scared that I’ll get splinters”
“Inflation is making the grocery prices sky-rocket, so many people are using community gardens instead”
“We are embarassed to invited people over because the space doesn’t feel inviting or safe”
“We love the idea of having a well lit up space near the front of the building, the courtyard on site is a nice area to sit in but can feel dark and secluded”
“Having a surface to process our garden harvests and food can be very helpful, right now we don’t have that”
Prototypes developed by graduate students and research assistants between March and May 2024:
Junaid Maideen, Celeste Correia, Jeremy Francis, Laylaa Hu, Olive Lazarus, Ann-Catherine Lemonde, Ben Merritt, Emily Nalangan, Shane Patience, Grace Sample, Alex Saucier, Amber Tong, and Weiyin Wu
