Future of allotments in the UK: Manchester City Camp
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The Future of Allotments in the UK. Growing Manchester: an open data story Farida Vis University of Leicester [department of Media and Communication] [email protected] - @flygirltwo
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Transcript of Future of allotments in the UK: Manchester City Camp
The Future of Allotments in the UK. Growing Manchester:
an open data story
Farida VisUniversity of Leicester [department of Media and Communication] [email protected] - @flygirltwo
The Future of Allotments in the UK: Part of a larger project
With the Open Knowledge Foundation (and Joao Cabrita)Allotment Finder – online tool to locate nearest allotment + info about waiting list, rent, water charges, discounts, other conditions
With Simon Faulkner (MMU) Heritage identities, return of The Diggers in times of economic crisis, Diggers festivals
With Yana Manyukhina (Leicester)Print media representation of allotments in UK pressLocal policy and tenancy agreements
Political participation – (active) citizenship, voice and listening Everyday really useful open data
Common land, the commons, openness, sharing with others
Sustainable platform politics and local (data driven) journalism Social change – community engagement
Local case studies – multiple angles Use of social media (online archiving – FB and YouTube)
Allotment holder | ex committee member | McR based
Waiting list crisis (our local site) – Transition Town Kirby, Margaret Campbell Grow Your Own | Land Share initiative | guerrilla gardening | alleyway gardensRecent changes – rent increases, water rates, tenancy agreements Threat to the Allotment Act – Clause 23 (Very limited government consultation )Localism BillLimited media coverage
With Yana Manyukhina (Leicester)Print media representation of allotments in UK pressLocal policy and tenancy agreements
With Simon Faulkner (MMU) Heritage identities, return of The Diggers in times of economic crisis, Diggers festivals
Gerrard Winstanley Festival – Wigan, 10th of September 2011
Rediscovering local/personal history and heritage + fight the cuts
Ashton Allotment Action
1996 – M60, land taken back by the Council. Given to local estate agent. Not yet returned to allotment stock.
Public space? Now privately owned
Space denied
Current waiting lists stats: 700 people on waiting lists for Tameside Council Allotments.Half (350) waiting for Ashton Moss – some as long as 8 years – A dormant creative public.
‘On St. George’s Day, Saturday 23rd of April, 2011, we started a Green Revolution in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside, in the tradition of English Radical group The Diggers
who during the period of the English Commonwealth, in 1649 reclaimed the common land of St. George’s Hill from the Lords of the Manor by digging and cultivating it.’
[www.bobsbackyard.co.uk/AAA]
‘…we invite others who are on the waiting list for allotments on Ashton Moss and anyone else who supports what we are doing to come and join us’ [ibid]
‘We call on the Council, as a matter of urgency to call a meeting of all of the people who are on their waiting list for an allotment on Ashton Moss, in order to facilitate the allocation of allotment association to administrate and manage the Ashton Allotment site. We call on Cordingleys to immediately hand over the allotment to Tameside Council as a matter of urgency’. [ibid]
The Diggers 1649 - 1651
Gerrard Winstanley
‘Winstanley declared that: “true freedom lies where a man receives his
nourishment and preservation, and that is in the use of the earth”. [ibid]
Saturday digs – food and drink provided
National and local media coverage
The One Show, Radio 4, BBC Manchester
Open data & data journalismAllotment Finder – tool
Open Knowledge Foundation | Data GMLocal government – Trafford Council
Really useful open dataEveryday (trash, allotments, childcare)
Finding the data (Data GM, FOI requests WhatDoTheyKnow.com, The Guardian data store)
Finding stories in the dataData literacy
Working together (Help Me Investigate)
Due to waiting list crisis and GYO popularity – new growing initiatives. Maps show availability
Mapping plots in Manchester – AMAS (incomplete) + Trafford (open data of allotment locations released by the council)
Collecting data = time consuming (mainly not available). Not precise
Assessing sustainability in Greater Manchester – mapping growing possibilities, resources + info with precise data
Trafford allotment (point data) mapped on Ordinance Survey ward boundaries
Trafford allotment (point data) mapped on Ordinance Survey ward boundaries
Trafford allotment (point data) - detail
Trafford allotment (point data) - detail
Assessing sustainability in Greater Manchester – mapping growing possibilities, resources + info with clean data
Combine efforts with existing organisations and initiatives
Growing Manchester
