E46 Housing as Community Social Enterprise

 

Beth Sanders and Yasushi Ohki explore how being a land developer can be good for a community’s well-being, rather than the maligned role many believe.

Yasushi innovates, pilots and demonstrates new housing forms with a dogged entrepreneurial spirit. He believes that building housing can be an opportunity to develop community well-being for individuals and the wider community. For over 22 years, Yasushi has worked in the land development industry, including greenfield development, infill residential construction and project management. He brings to his work a love of urban design and a keen eye for how people interact with architecture, combined with a sensitivity to the realities of building construction and maintenance. He continues his community development work by establishing a trio of sustainability-oriented organizations: the Green Violin Community Development Company, the Rose Cello Affordable Housing Society, and the Prairie Sky Property Management Corporation.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

  • The land development equation

  • How housing and neighbourhood connect

  • The struggles of innovation (read: struggles with city hall)

  • The roles of developers, city hall, community and citizens

  • Work as a calling to try new things

  • City making vs city building vs city caring

Here's what Yasushi says about himself: "A degree in Civil Engineering and a second one in Architecture allowed me to have a career in land development in my home city of Edmonton, where I moved to when I was a young child from Vancouver where I was born to Japanese parents. I am currently advocating, educating, and co-creating housing options for affordable housing in and around Edmonton through my non-profit community development company, Green Violin."

Reflection

  • Yasushi is looking for language to replace the word "healthy" in the phrase "healthy community." What new language do you suggest?

  • If your neighbourhood was an old pair of shoes, would you fix or build new, and why?

  • How could your neighbourhood be improved to better serve you, your neighbours, and future neighbours?

 
Civic Practice, Conversation, WorkBeth Sandershousing, community, community social enterprise, Work