Chickens in the hood

By Julian Broadhead

A few chickens scratching around out front is often viewed by us urbanites as a romantic symbol of the country. But city living shouldn’t stop us having our very own flock and getting closer to the food we eat.

A groundswell of enthusiasts are showing us exactly how we can enjoy a superior breakfast every day; a fresh egg laid by a beloved ground bird taking centre stage on the plate. Their activities have inspired numerous meet-up groups, blogs and websites, the launch of Backyard Poultry Magazine in 2006 and wider coverage in titles such as the New Yorker and New York Times.

So where should Vivacity start on an ornithological adventure? Well, it depends on what type of chicken owner we would want to be. For beginners, websites such as UrbanChickens (www.urbanchickens.org) and the City Chicken (www.thecitychicken.com) offer practical, down-to-earth advice on everything from coops and what to do if your chickens attack you (!), right through to petitioning local government to get the keeping of urban chickens made legal in your area. However, if you feel you could be a bit more ‘flock proud’, sites such as Backyard Chickens (www.backyardchickens.com) provide the basics, as well as a forum to brag about the size of your eggs and debate the relative merits of various breeds and varieties.

What underlies it all though is the fact that there is more to keeping chickens than just knowing where your food comes from and how it has been treated. People clearly bond with their fowl, it is surprisingly easy and it provides a fantastic source of fertiliser for other garden activities. But most of all it’s fun.

A word of warning. The benefits of raising your own food are addictive and chickens are known as the gateway animal. One owner went from a few chickens on her urban farm, to twenty chickens, fourteen rabbits, four turkeys, a duck, and two pigs! You have been warned.

why vivacity

This is the century of the city.

Over half the world’s population now live in cities. This is projected to rise to three-quarters of all people in 2050. With population increases, this means 6.75 billion of us will be city dwellers, an increase of 3.75 billion from today. As the future success or failure of mankind lies in cities, new ways of using them are needed.

The city represents an incredible paradox. We have never been closer together physically, but we have never been further away from each other emotionally. At vivacity we celebrate city movements around the world that change and re-define the way we interact with and use cities. Whilst cities cannot cope with the numbers now and the resultant strain on the world’s natural resources and eco-systems are already painfully evident, we believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome, as it has done before.

vivacity promotes city movements that are connecting people & creating new types of communities. They are typically low impact, highly sociable, enabled by technology, using public and private spaces in new ways and empowering people to act locally.

vivacity promotes new ways of feeling alive, new ways of being invigorated, and new things to be a part of. We call it grassroots stuff in the city. We hope you get involved and share your experiences with us.

who we are

Andy Marks vivacity founder and editor

Social entrepreneur, lecturer, writer and curator, Andy Marks is an agent of positive social change practicing at the intersection or fault-line of business, society and culture. Andy is the founder of research and consultancy network Salad Worldwide, an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies on Corporate Responsibility and an advisor to a number of non-profit organizations. Andy is an expert on grass roots city movements, and a founding partner of an upcycling enterprise launching in 2010.

Julian Broadhead contributor

With a background in advertising, branding and corporate responsibility, Julian works with blue-chip companies from a wide range of industries and sectors, advising on strategy and new ways of connecting with people. He is currently developing a number of new opportunities in the environmental sector, with a particular emphasis on making environmental action more accessible.

Shane Solanki – contributor/distributor/carburettor/carbon-ara

Artist, writer, performer, producer and director, Shane’s first short film was commissioned by the BBC and directed by Peter Cattaneo. His first record was produced by Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh. He worked for years to forge the unique identity of independent record label Ninja Tune. We at Vivacity like to think of him as a grass roots detective, covertly operating under the pseudonym of the Last Mango in Paris; imagine him skulking around the world in a beige macintosh, recording and documenting our shift into a society where social responsibility and public creativity are norms.

contribute

become a vivacity scout

As more and more of us live in urban areas, individuals and communities can feel overwhelmed and isolated by the sheer intense-city of it all.

However we at vivacity believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome as it has done so many times before. That is why we are celebrating movements around the world that are changing and re-defining the way we interact with the city. We would like to hear from you about grassroots movements or activities that bring people together face to face and use cities in new ways. The more original and imaginative the better.

Please email us describing a movement you would like to see on vivacity using a maximum of 300 words. info@vivacity.me