And for that same 20-25 years many of us have been haggling and hassling with the City about those gardens which many were done on MCDA vacant lots with the understanding that they someday be gone in order to build a house. But the City has many unbuildable lots (wrong size or some other reason) which are perfect but still the owners on each side of the lot usually have first choice of buying the side lot so a garden may be lost that way. A lot of work has been done the past couple of years on the ownership, liability and maintenance issues and The Green Space Partners program of The Green Institute now helps groups get hold of the land. (see their website with pictures of gardens and all)
Anyway, as Wizard commented on earlier today lots and lots of people in Mpls are doing both community gardens and beautifying the City which is recognized through the Minneapolis Blooms (formerly Blooming Boulevards) program of the Committee on Urban Environment. Over 1200 gardens were awarded Certificates of Appreciation for their efforts. And there are top awards given to those with really exceptional gardens. And this year there have been tours throughout many neighborhoods to show off the neighborhood great gardens.
Yes, it all goes to making this a very marvelous and beautiful place to live.
Flowers everywhere,
Annie Young
East Phillips
At 03:52 PM 7/20/03 -0700, David Strand wrote:
Actually, aren't community gardens, and the like, often organized around the principle of providing an alternative source of fresh food to low income individuals?
David Strand Loring Park --- Bill Cullen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Kevin Lattimore a Junior at North H.S. wrote (and > Shawn Lewis posted): > > According to Deb Landy of Common Bond, Minnesota's > largest provider of > affordable housing, there are about 39,000 > affordable housing units for the > 80,000 Minnesota families who need them. > > Bill Cullen responds: > > Lets agree that if we ignore costs, housing is > readily available. > Therefore, if the only issue is affordability, we > don't need to build MORE > housing, we need to make existing housing cost less > or supplement low-income > families. > > Think of it this way. When low-income families > cannot afford food, our > government supplies them with food stamps. Our > government does not start > subsidizing the purchase of farms, ranches, food > processing plants and food > distribution centers solely to create a duplicate > supply chain of > "affordable food." > > In housing however, our leaders propose just such a > solution. They want to > subsidize builders to create housing that operate in > a different financial > realm than market rate housing. The end result is a > few developers and > non-profits control the affordable housing market. > Not only does this limit > the options of families with low incomes, it is > expensive to taxpayers. In > 2001, the Minneapolis Community Development Agency > reported that the average > subsidy for one affordable housing unit was > $158,828! > > Housing "vouchers provide affordable units at a much > lower price than new > production programs by relying on older, already > existing housing units (the > kind of housing that nearly all households live > in)." Claimed Ron Feldmen, > Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of > Minneapolis in his August 2002 > paper on affordable housing. Mr. Feldman later > stated that with an annual > subsidy of only $2000 per household we could move > most low-income families > from unaffordable to affordable housing using market > rate housing. > > Remember this: If we provide "rent stamps" instead > of subsidizing a few > non-profits, then ALL HOUSING IS AFFORDABLE. The > beauty, as clearly > outlined by Mr. Feldman, is that it costs less too. > > Bill Cullen. > Hopkins & Uptown. > > TEMPORARY REMINDER: > 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, > don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, > of course.) > > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic > Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
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TEMPORARY REMINDER:
1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.)
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.)
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
