The Sustainability of Urban Agricultural Heritage Landscape

The National Capital Greenbelt in Ottawa

Jana NitschkeCDNA 4901 Heritage Conservation and Sustainability

Sustainable Heritage Case Study08 November 2014

Description• In 1950 it was conceived by Parisian architect-planner Jacques Greber to

prevent urban sprawl

• The Greenbelt is a crescent-shaped patchwork of farms, fields, forests, and research complexes bordering the City of Ottawa and parts of Nepean and Gloucester

• 20,000 hectares of green space owned by the NCC, which is a federal Crown corporation

• one third of NCC-owned lands are leased to tenants for a variety of uses ranging from farms to municipally run recreation facilities

• approximately 8,000 people work and 1,000 people live in the Greenbelt.

Greenbelt Concept, Capital Context

SENES Consultants Limited, & Canadian Electronic Library (Firm). (2014). Figure 3.2 Greenbelt Concept, Capital Context [map]. Canada's capital greenbelt master plan. Beaconsfield, Quebec: Canadian Electronic Library. p.25

Ottawa Greenbelt

Felstead, Aimee. (2012). 1009 Ottawa Greenbelt [online image]. Retrieved December 7, 2014 from http://www.foodurbanism.org/ottawa-greenbelt/1009-ottowa-greenbelt/

Timeline• 1950 Proposal created by Parisian architect-planner Jacques Greber to shape

the expanding urban Capital and to provide a reserve of land for future public and private institutions.

• 1956 establishment of the Greenbelt area• 1959 the NCC was created by Parliament• 1961 50-year forest management agreement with the Government of

Ontario• 1990 600-person public opinion survey to gauge public awareness and

opinion of the Greenbelt within the National Capital Region (NCR)• 1991 150 students at nine Canadian university schools of urban and

regional planning developed master plans for the Greenbelt• 1995 Greenbelt Master Plan • 1999 Plan for Canada’s Capital Region• 2013 Canada’s Capital Greenbelt Masterplan• 2067 Future plan for Canada’s Capital, 200th Anniversary of Confederation

Future vision

2067 Future plan for Canada’s Capital, 200th Anniversary of Confederation

• to engage passionate people with the knowledge needed to increase farm diversification, visibility and the contribution of Greenbelt agriculture to local food, and agricultural experiences, resulting in greater relevance for the community.

Stakeholders

• NCC, National Capital Commission– Greenbelt land management and lease

• AAFC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada• City of Ottawa Recreation and Community Services

Department• City of Ottawa• CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada• Agricultural Tenants• Greenbelt Farm Tenants Association• Canadian Organic Growers

Lessons

• This case study’s purpose is to evaluate and analyze the current agricultural situation in the Greenbelt of Ottawa to determine positive results that have developed in time to be used for future projects.

• Greenbelt farm produce a diversity of products, such as milk, meat, grains, fruits and vegetable.

• Cultural and heritage value from the Greenbelt • Agricultural Sustainability

Natural/Cultural Heritage

• The Greenbelt plays an important part in our sense of national identify and the enjoyment of the Capital Region.

• Cultural Landscape reflects human history and captures the relationship between humans and the environment and is defined by the NCC “a set of ideas and practices, embedded in a place”.

• Agricultural tourism has the potential to enhance farm incomes, provide education opportunities and create linkages between city residents and the Greenbelt

Log Farm

Horesebackriding in the Greenbelt [online image]. Copyright of NCC/CCN. Retrieved December 7, 2014 from http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/greenbelt/things-to-do/horseback-riding-greenbelt

Sustainability• Sustainable Agriculture integrates environmental health, economic profitability

and social equity • Industrial agriculture is dependent on the maximization of output, meaning an

increased need for petrochemical-based inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, as well as monoculture crops and destructive soil management practices.

• In an export-oriented country, farms are becoming bigger in order to compete on the global market, and those that are unable to compete are squeezed out.

• Environmentally friendly farm practices such as organic and biodynamic as well as promoting expansion into the domestic markets are strategies that encompass interlock the components of economy, environment, culture and society.

Sustainable Agriculture

A Farm in the Greenbelt (2009). [photography]. NCC official website. http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/greenbelt/agriculture-greenbelt

Just Food Farm

Deby, Denise (2013). Just Food Farm [photography]. Green Living Ottawa: Practicing Urban Environmentalism. http://greenlivingottawa.com/2013/09/18/just-food-farm/

ReferencesDocuments • Caldwell, W., Temple, Katie. Farm National Capital Commission. (2009). Canada’s Capital Greenbelt: Moving towards Sustainable Agriculture.

• Canada. National Capital Commission. Long Range Planning Division. (1991). Future greenbelt: Agricultural analysis.

• Julian Smith & Associates Contentworks inc. for: the Design and Land Use Devision, Capital Planning and Real Asset Management Branch (2004). Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands. National Capital Commission

• National Capital Commission. Environmental Assessment: Making Better Decisions.

• SENES Consultants Limited, & Canadian Electronic Library (Firm). (2013). Canada's capital greenbelt master plan. Beaconsfield, Quebec: Canadian Electronic Library.

• SENES Consultants Limited, National Capital Commission. (2013). Greenbelt Master Plan Review, Phase 2 – Step D Land Designations, Policies and Sector Plans. Beaconsfield, Quebec: Canadian Electronic Library.

• SENES Consultants Limited, National Capital Commission. (2013). Greenbelt Master Plan Review, Strategic Environmental Assessment. Beaconsfield, Quebec: Canadian Electronic Library.

Websites

Just Food• Working for a Sustainable and Just Food system in Ottawa. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.justfood.ca/ NCC, National Capital Comission • Greenbelt. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/greenbelt/about-national-capital-greenbelt

Realontario• The Old Log Farm. (2008, January 1). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.realontario.ca/index.php/ontario-tourism-listing?pid=8691

OFA, Ontario Federation of Agriculture• Ottawa Federation of Agriculture | News. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from

http://www.ofa.on.ca/about/county-federation-sites/ottawa/news/A-united-front-for farmland-preservation

Ontario Farmland Trust• Provincial Policy Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/programs/policy/pps/