Thursday, July 28, 2011

E-I-E-I-O

This seems like a fitting time to run this, since Mayor Emanuel just announced yesterday that he would be supporting an ordinance to make it easier for urban farms to thrive in Chicago.*

A reader took this photo of the northwest corner of Ainslie and Kenmore and says:  "I was out of town for a month and a half, and when I came back this garden on Kenmore, next to Mid-America care center, had sprung to life! Seems that not long ago it was a dirt lot littered with beer cans and covered with snow... my only question is, where does all the produce go?"

* Fun fact: According to Curbed Chicago, the ordinance will, among other things, legalize aquaponics (i.e., fish farms).  Funny how the fact that it wasn't even legal at the time didn't stand in the way of Ald. Shiller's plans to purchase the 1025 W. Sunnyside building with TIF money, allegedly for the purpose of turning it into a fish farm.  Makes us wonder -- again -- what the real purpose was behind that proposed purchase.  Of course, she managed to spend all the money remaining in the Wilson Yard TIF fund anyway.

4 comments:

  1. Speaking of Helen, I saw her crossng Sheridan at Sunnyside today. I only mention it because in 4 years, I've only spotted her near her office twice and the other time there was a camera. .

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  2. I love this garden and hope to see more of these pop-up. There's another open lot just north on Ainslie on Sheridan that would be another ideal location for one of these.... I just which I had some extra cash laying around to buy the lot.

    Then maybe one day Lawrence House will crumble to the ground then we can put one there too!! Then we can use the sprinklers keep the crackheads away. ha

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  3. This garden has been going for years and is maintained by some of the Vietnamese living in the neighborhood. There used to be more but as the cinder block condo buildings have emerged, the gardens were pushed out. I love this one...

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  4. Colleen is right, this garden has been going for years. The produce goes to the vietnamese community, the stores and restaurants on Argyle.

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