The South Osborne Permaculture Commons is a network of community garden spaces and food-related sustainability programs and events in Winnipeg’s Lord Roberts and Riverview neighbourhoods.

A commons is something that is shared. SOPC shares the space, the bounty, and the knowledge and experience that it brings to the gardens and events.

The gardens sites all follow the principles of ‘Permaculture’ – an approach to sustain living and a design philosophy that works with nature to increase yield, minimize work and heal the land. The gardens are run based on the three pillars of permaculture: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share. All the gardens are pesticide and herbicide free, and they do not use any chemical fertilizers.

Urban Green Commons and Food Sovereignty: Insights from the South Osborne Permaculture Commons

Contact: southosbornecommons@gmail.com

1. To foster the entrepreneurial spirit by providing the necessary tools to people who want to develop their ideas, retaining and attracting the human capital of the city, enhancing business acceleration and employability paths.

2. Strengthen and involve communities in finding and applying solutions to their own challenges, incorporating the wealth of citizen innovation into public services with bottom-up planning dynamics.

3. Promote spaces for socialization and education, where open knowledge and free learning are promoted, from childhood to adult life.

4. To foster collaborative and cooperative environments, as a foundation and support for a global strategy of transition towards a more inclusive knowledge economy.
Zaragoza Activa (ZAC) has two venues in the city and is working to open the third. The main headquarters of ZAC is the former Azucarera del Rabal (c / Mas de las Matas 20) a factory recovered on the left bank of the Ebro with 4,000 m2 which opened its doors in 2010 and acts as the heart of the ecosystem.

http://www.zaragoza.es/activa

The colossal 2,100 square meter factory has become a testing ground for a number of green ideas. Within the confines of the space, the studio preserved the original factory features, such as old walls, trees, and natural water access while its existing brick enclosures have been transformed into rooftop agriculture plots. These have been levelled into different heights to create different soil depth suitable for a variety of crops. In addition, an irrigation pond taps into the underground water source in order to enable an integrated sprinkler system.

Beyond making a “Little Hong Kong” in Shenzhen, the idea was to curate a dynamic space where self-sufficiency meets creative use of urban space. To reimagine the factory as Value Farm, the land was revived as a green hub that the local community can live from. It has become the host of several events organised to connect the people to the land, including Sowing, Tasting, and Market Festivals that engage community members and encourage visitors to participate.

This creative idea is part of the Shenzhen Hong Kong Bi-city Biennale of UrbanismArchitecture 2013, inspired by existing elements of Hong Kong’s green planning initiatives. These include rooftop farms that reconnect the city’s inhabitants to small-scale food production and boast several energy saving features. As the space continues to develop, and food production evolves, Value Farm could become a model for similar initiatives throughout China.

Contact : https://www.facebook.com/hongkongvaluefarm/about/?ref=page_internal

De Klopvaar is an important example of a self-organized commons in Utrecht .

Contact : info@unusualbusiness.nl

The most important purpose is to create a flexible model, which could be doubled in its design phases – from the statute to trading dynamics – and above all as a lasting experience over time.

CoHousing Numero Zero is a small demonstration of how the vision of an eco-city can concretely come to life. It is characterized by a terrace, a garden, common areas and accommodations for 8 families living there, whose members all actively participate in the design and implementation of the project.