By now you know how community food related events give me the warm fuzzies. I was therefore geekishly excited about visiting Carrot City, an exhibit on at the Design Exchange showcasing how cities and buildings are being designed in a manner that enables them to feed us city dwellers.
I hopped on my bicycle and rode across the city for my urban road trip to Carrot City. On the way, I stopped by City Hall to pick up my friend, city planner Oren Tamir (of Our Toronto). We were on our way.
Carrot City was delightful. Packed with interesting and inspiring projects, proposals and ideas on how we can, as a great metropolitan city, grow our own food in amongst all this concrete.
I took a liking to Pig City, a proposal to move pigs into something relating to a high rise condominium tower complete with a semen centre and porker park. Oren and I are both big fans of the green roof idea, turning the roofs of the world’s cities in to food growing, oasis-like gardens. Green walls were another winner for us- an organic chicquitta and city planner. (And if you aren’t up for green walling, what about green-skinning your building’s walls?)
I am not sure I would want to eat produce out of a garden plot that was set-up in a parking 
spot of a downtown parking lot, but more green is good.
I have to say though, my absolute favourite part of the exhibit was the Omlet. An incredibly simple and addordable solution to houseing chickens in the backyard. Do I have to say again how much I <heart> chicken? Well I do, and as soon as I have myself a yard, I will have three happy hens running around in a pink Omlet.
BlogTO did a great write up on the Toronto projects on display at Carrot City. The Exhibit is free and on until he end of April. Check it out if you can.
The Design Exchange is located at 234 Bay Street. Exhibit hours are from 10am – 5pm Monday through Friday, 12pm-5pm Saturday and Sunday.
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this is definitely one of the most fascinating post I’ve read. thanks for such interesting information!
you must pick up a copy of this week’s NOW magazine! There’s an article on Carrot City, as well as one on urban hen-raising! You can sign a petition to decriminalize raising chickens in the city at torontochickens.com
I would love to raise chickens. My father raised both rabbits and chickens. The only thing that’s stopping me is the part that gets it from the yard to the pot. How would you deal with that? Also, people need to check their local town ordinances to make sure they are allowed to keep chickens and if there are any restrictions on how many you are allowed to keep. Also, some may be limited depending on the size of their lot.
I heard some great news yesterday. Thanks to the First Lady, a vegetable garden is finally going to be planted on the White House grounds – whoot!
I need to check this out! I saw the blogto post, and it intrigued me, but now I am even more so intrigued. Thanks !
I got this press release, too — there are some lectures at Ryerson I was thinking of going to because I couldn’t make it to Carrot City, but I’m glad you went and checked it out.
Great ideas there, thanks. I honestly took the plunge and got me some chickens last week! Now I have so many eggs like you wouldn’t believe. You might like these egg recipes.