[Self Portrait, 2005]

Community Development

Here you will find information about local community development sorts of projects and initiatives in Calgary and area. Also relevant to this is my Good Places list, which includes many locally-owned and operated business which provide exceptional products and services.

Community Gardens in Calgary
In the early part of the 1900's, there were over two thousand vacant lots being used as community gardens in Calgary, with support from the City, the Rotary club and others. They are currently seeing a little bit of a revival, with at least a dozen across the City. Resources:
Complementary Currencies
A complementary currency is some non-official currency which serves a specific purpose. The only one operating in Calgary is Calgary Dollars which unfortunately changed from a time-based currency (see also LETS) -- a form of mutual credit -- to being indexed directly from Canadian dollars. Hence, the only purpose it now serves is to encourage people towards local economic activities. This isn't a bad thing, but a far cry from a proper time-based currency. I can't find any information about how new Calgary Dollars are created (and I am not a member).