devereaux

Scotland seemingly does an excellent job of promoting export from the region through the efforts of Scottish Development International and their new Smart Exporter programme. How has the Scottish government supported this initiative, and what types of challenges do you see for a program of this type moving forward?

Hi Vincent,

As a urban planner, I am wondering if you're familiar with the work that Will Allen and his "Growing Power" organization have done with respect to urban farming and tackling food deserts in Milwaukee/Chicago, and whether they have influenced your work thus far?

Also, I'd like to mention that several cities, particularly those in the northern Rust Belt, have large inventories of inner-city vacant lots and have embraced the use of community gardening/pocket parks to reduce neighborhood blight, strengthen community bonds (particularly intergenerational bonds), and provide job skills to many in need of work. In the communities in which you work, do you find much municipal support for addressing vacant lots with gardening or are they more ambivalent?

The City of Milwaukee has a great program called "HOME GR/OWN" that you might be interested in looking into:

http://city.milwaukee.gov/sustainability/HOMEGR/OWN.htm

Thanks for your commitment to something that helps so many! On Wisconsin

Thanks for your reply!

As you move forward with this great project, keep in mind that you can find many allies and resources for your work in Pahokee by connecting to the Urban Planning, Social Work, Public Administration, and Public Health departments at universities throughout South Florida. They are close by and will have a real interest in helping you out.

Also, if you have any questions about urban planning and community gardens, you can also always ask people in the /r/urbanplanning section of Reddit. There are community planners and people involved in communities all over in there and can give helpful advice.

Best of luck!

Do you ever weigh Porter's Five Forces and the role your clients/employers play in said forces when advising or entering into negotiations?