Curtis Lowe

I’ve walked past that weed-choked lot on the corner of Maple and Third for years. It’s a patch of dirt, broken glass, and the occasional discarded mattress. But when I look at it, I see tomatoes, collards, and a place where neighbors might actually stop and talk instead of hurrying past with their heads down. … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Working Community Garden

The first time I watched a community garden get named by a city grant officer, I knew we had a problem. Three women who lived on the block had carved the garden out of a vacant lot. They hauled soil in shopping bags. They negotiated water access with the church next door. They grew callaloo, … Read moreHow to Name Your Community Project Without Letting Outsiders Do It for You

There’s a quiet kind of magic in taking a patch of forgotten land and turning it into a place where neighbours meet, vegetables grow, and kids learn where food actually comes from. I’ve seen it happen in my own neighbourhood, and I want to share exactly how you can do it too. This isn’t about … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Thriving Community Garden

Walk any neighbourhood long enough and you will spot it. A patch of land nobody bothers with. Weeds chest-high, a few scattered bricks, maybe a faded sign that hasn’t meant anything in years. That land isn’t just empty. It’s waiting. And with a bit of planning, a handful of neighbours, and a willingness to get … Read moreHow to Start a Community Garden on Vacant Land: A Step-by-Step Guide for Neighbourhoods

You know that lot. The one on the corner with the busted fence and weeds so tall they look like they’re staging a rebellion. You’ve walked past it thinking, “Somebody should plant something there.” Well, that somebody is you. I’ve helped start three gardens in spots just like that—places where the soil was questionable, the … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Community Garden (Without Losing Your Mind)

I’ve walked past that empty lot on the corner of Maple and 5th more times than I can count. Weeds choking the fence, a discarded mattress rotting in the sun. It’s not just an eyesore—it’s a missed chance. A chance to grow food, to gather neighbours, to turn neglect into something that feeds us. I’m … Read moreTurning a Vacant Lot into a Neighbourhood Garden: Patricia Ndlovu’s No-Nonsense Guide

I’ve lived in this community for over thirty years. I’ve seen corner shops open and close, watched empty lots turn into car parks, and stood by as the old community hall on Maple Street was sold to a developer who promised to keep it public—then turned it into private offices. The pattern is always the … Read moreWhy Our Neighbourhoods Need Spaces We Truly Own

I’ve lived in the same neighbourhood for over twenty years. I’ve watched corner shops turn into chain stores, seen the local pub become a gastropub that nobody from around here can afford, and stood by as the community hall was sold off to a developer who promised “mixed-use revitalization” and delivered luxury flats with a … Read moreWhy We Need More Community-Owned Spaces

I still remember the first time I walked into a place that felt like it belonged to us. Not a shiny new building with a plaque out front. It was a tired corner shop on a street the city had stopped thinking about years ago. The floorboards complained when you stepped on them. Paint was … Read moreThe Quiet Fight for Our Own Spaces

The Problem With Gentrification Framed as Revitalization By Patricia Ndlovu I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for over forty years. My mother raised me in a two-bedroom apartment on a block where you knew every neighbor’s name, where children played double-dutch on the sidewalk, and where the corner store owner would let you take a … Read moreThe Problem With Gentrification Framed as Revitalization