Placemaking and connection building to repair our communities with Ridhi D’Cruz and Mark Lakeman of City Repair: 029

Rhidi D'CruzMark Lakeman I have an extra special interview for all of you today. In this episode I've got not one, but two visionary change makers from the community restoration non-profit City Repair, which is based in Portland Oregon. I've got Ridhi D'Cruz, the co-director of City Repair, and the founder and co-director, Mark Lakeman. They each come from very different backgrounds, but have united to foster thriving, inclusive and sustainable communities through the creative reclamation of public space. City Repair also facilitates artistic and ecologically-oriented placemaking through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world. I know that all sounds a bit complicated, but what's worth knowing is that a large part of their projects involve permaculture garden installations and community spaces built with natural materials, all in urban environments where those types of projects have traditionally been hard to get approved In this interview, Mark and Ridhi go in depth about the concept of placemaking and why it's so essential in our modern communities. Mark gives incredible insights into the history of colonial advancement through the Americas and how it shaped the landscape and our build environment into one that isolates us from one another. Ridhi goes on to explain their annual event called the Village Building Convergence and how their work has already had an amazing impact on the interconnectedness of the people they've worked with in unexpected ways. At the end, both of them give invaluable advice on how you can take up the mantle and effectively create and facilitate connections in your own community. The answers may surprise you. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Listen in at the end of this podcast to find out how you can win your own copy of "The Urban Farmer" from New Society Publishers Resources: http://www.cityrepair.org/