“My favourite thing in the whole world is going into a city I’ve never been in before first thing in the morning and just walking around and getting a feel for what it is like - as a creature almost.” - Dr. Lenore Newman, assistant professor, RRU School of Environment and Sustainability 

Dr. Newman has found that as urban markets become more popular, nearby neighbourhoods that were formerly working-class are sometimes transformed into enclaves of upscale condos. ____________

Dr. Lenore Newman, an assistant professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability, is currently examining the role of urban farm markets in eight large North American cities, including Vancouver and San Francisco.

It's a three-year project — funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Among her early findings are that products are typically high-end; winter markets tend to be quieter; smaller markets appeal to locals; and larger markets also serve as tourist destinations.

Another pattern she has uncovered is that as markets become more popular, nearby formerly working-class neighbourhoods are sometimes transformed into enclaves of upscale condos, a process known as gentrification.

That is certainly true of Granville Island Market in Vancouver. 

Researcher brings quantitative, empirical rigour to the social sciences

Dr. Newman herself first came to that big city to earn a B.Sc. in physics, after leaving her hometown Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, where she grew up in a family of loggers and fishermen.

“Right from the start I would question what I was told by authority. So I’ve always been very curious at looking at the underlying truth and causes of things. That does come from being an outsider in many ways at an early age.”

Her physics work on carbon chemistry gave her a good understanding of carbon’s role in environmental matters. Eventually, though, she came to realize those issues required social inquiry. She has since earned an MA in Environmental Studies and a PhD in Sustainable Development. But her outsider background in physics still informs her research.

“One of my drives is to bring quantitative, measurable, empirical rigour to the social sciences. That is one reason I’ve been fairly successful.”

Dr. Newman came to RRU as a post-doctoral scholar in 2004 and was appointed assistant professor in 2006. She has become a key collaborator with Dr. Ann Dale, the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development. They have co-authored several papers, including In Praise of Mundane Nature, published in

"Right from the start I always questioned what I was told by authority and I’ve always been very curious at looking at the underlying truth and causes of things. That does come from being an outsider in many ways at an early age.” __________

Alternatives, which challenges the separation of natural and urban spaces, and explores the hidden value in the greening of city spaces.

The two have also explored the need for community networks and environmental groups to diversify their memberships in order to cultivate fresh ideas.

One way to bring people together, says Newman, is through food - by breaking bread. People can also make a difference through food - by changing their personal food choices.

“Say, for example, someone wants to cut back their carbon impact. They could switch to local food which would be good. However, they could achieve the exact same carbon cut by not eating meat one day a week,” says Newman, who does occasionally eat meat.

Among her sole-authorship publications, she is most proud of her article on dynamic sustainable development in the journal, Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy. In that paper, she says sustainable development “must be an ongoing process, not a goal.”

Sustainable development isn’t, as some researchers and critics have suggested, an oxymoron.

“Development is something people do naturally. To say it’s ‘sustainable’ just means you are picking options.”

In the same way that slavery is no longer considered moral, she says, ignoring the environment has become amoral.

“We are not fighting to save the Earth,” says Dr. Newman, who is writing a book about sustainable food systems. “The Earth is tough. It’s been around for a long time. When we are gone, it will still be around. We are fighting to save us.”