Written by Rose Ziaei This summer, Community Food Growers Network held an evening of discussion on Gentrification, Food Justice and London for around 35 people at Impact Hub in Brixton. For many of us, reflections around the topic started with our journey to the event. Our journeys involved walking past the Brixton Arches where traders…
Community Food policy for Health, Housing, Economy & Training
17th November 2016
3-5pm
Committee Room 2, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA
Sign up to attend here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/towards-a-resilient-food-system-for-london-tickets-28995194407
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Today, as a country, we face huge problems – widening inequality, a chronic housing crisis, a dysfunctional agricultural system, multiple public health issues and impending climate collapse. Land use is one of the root causes of these problems but is rarely discussed. Indeed, land has been the elephant in the room of English politics for so long we have become accustomed to its absence during important debates.
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This Wednesday the Mipim property fair returns to London, celebrating a housing system that puts an obsession with profit over people’s right to a decent home. By promoting this unsustainable approach to housing and land use, Mipim benefits the global rich whilst destroying our communities. Mipim brings global property development companies together with local authorities and other “partners wanting to close deals”, often selling public land and assets. Barnet council gave the West Hendon estate, worth an estimated £45m, to Barratt for just £5. This approach is being enabled by a government whose policies are exacerbating the housing crisis, as the Tories’ new housing bill shows. We condemn everything that Mipim stands for, and join communities and campaigners to say no to Mipim, yes to housing justice.
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