The Dayton Beautiful (a pun on “City Beautiful”) initiative was announced earlier this year.  It was or is a set of strategies to deal with the increasing amount of vacant land in the city.  From what I recall urban gardening was going to be one aspect of it.  The Dayton Daily News reports on the demonstration garden that is kicking off the program.  The interesting thing here is that Somali and Sudanese refugees are the gardeners.

 

 

 

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DAYTON — A patch of vacant ground smaller than an acre has grown a bumper crop of vegetables for a group of African refugees, and the bounty could spill over into a potentially rich harvest for the city….

 

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…A coalition that includes agricultural producers, city of Dayton officials, Catholic Social Services and the Islamic Federation is testing the potential for community gardens throughout the city’s more than 60 neighborhoods….

 

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A follow on article talks about expansion and urban agriculture as a way to remedy the “food desert” situation in Dayton (grocery stores selling quality produce are few and far between)

 

City Owned Gardens Look to Expand

 

With many city neighborhoods a drive from larger supermarkets, community gardens could provide a supplement to local diets, City Commissioner Nan Whaley said.

 

So far, the project dubbed “Dayton Beautiful: Vacant to Vibrant” has worked out well….

 

For more on Dayton Beautiful they have a Facebook page.

 

 

“Throughout America at the turn of the 20th century, the City Beautiful movement sought to improve living conditions in dense industrial-era city centers through beautiful urban and landscape design. The impact of this movement is reflected in many of Dayton's parks, bridges, and boulevards. A century later, the Dayton landscape has changed dramatically, with its density considerably lower than at its industrial peak and with resultant vacant lots and structures.

 

Can we as a community embrace our 21st century challenges through a new Dayton Beautiful movement? Can we celebrate and strengthen the best of our past, and as we build new, raise the bar of expectations for the future?”

 

Interesting.

 

One quick question, though- Where did the Somalians and Sudanese refugees live? Are they in the city?