Community gathering space and garden pops up at Shelldale Centre

PlazaPOPS has popped back up in Guelph.

The makeshift gathering place is being set up in the parking lot at the Shelldale Centre, thanks to a collaborative effort from a number of different local organizations. But it's more than just a gathering space, it's meant to promote a circular food economy.

It'll include garden boxes, and accessible seating facing a garden and forested area. Shade structures are also going up. The project, as a whole, is taking up five parking spaces.

The pieces being used have been stored in Guelph since 2019, when a pop-up pilot project – called WexPOPS – ran in Scarborough.

"We're missing those (gathering) places in many places," said Ashlee Cooper, the manager of food equity and community resilience with Our Food Future.

"It can be in a parking lot of a park like this, it can be a parking lot in some other location in the city."

She said we're in need of connection, and places like this help accomplish that goal.

Looking around for a location, Cooper said taking up shop outside the Shelldale Centre was a natural fit with all the activity happening nearby, including the garden and the amenities of Norm Jary Park.

"I'm so happy and proud (to) coordinate nice people from (different backgrounds)," said Omelnisaa Giddam, the coordinator of the Shelldale Farm Park.

The Guelph Community Health Centre, Kindle Communities, Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington, the SEED and Shelldale Farm Park are all working together in the venture.

The project, Giddam said, supports the Onward Willow community, and hopes it builds community resilience.

"PlazaPOPS donated all of the materials," added Brendan Stewart, a landscape architecture professor at U of G, and one of the two brainchilds behind PlazaPOPS.

"We're thrilled that they're being reused, and this is an amazing community project."

Stewart said he's just watching from the sidelines, as community groups take the lead on the build. But he admits there's a feeling of nostalgia to see the pieces back out and being used.

"It's kind of actually emotional right now, because there's a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into this project in 2019," he said, adding five sites are also going up in Scarborough.

"I spent a lot of time working on the design, and the build of this the first time, and I've moved it five times and I've got the paint still in my basement, so it's very personal. It means a lot, it's awesome."

"We're super grateful that they entertained the idea of letting other people use it," Cooper added.

The pop-up will be open to the public this weekend, and closes around Thanksgiving.

"We're trying to demonstrate circular food economy principles, so that's looking at the whole food system," Cooper said.

"Once PlazaPOPS is taken down, all of the soil and all of the plants will be distributed to the community, to be re-planted somewhere else. All the pieces will be re-used for the next installation."

She said they're going for "absolutely no waste."