Depaving, the act of removing asphalt and concrete surfaces, is an act of social and ecological repair of the ground—one that prompts us to imagine collective participation in the construction of a shared ground that extends beyond private property lines. Established in 2008, the Portland-based nonprofit Depave has been on the leading edge of volunteer-driven neighborhood efforts to turn underutilized asphalt into gardens, freeing urban soil and re-greening cities.
This lunchtime event will present both precedents and practicalities around the implementation of depaving actions. Arif Khan, co-founder of Depave, will speak to the organization’s founding principles, challenges and successes—and how a depaving mindset can be applied to a diversity of matters in urban planning, from transportation to climate resilience. He will then demonstrate the strategy and tools needed to organize support and prepare volunteers to physically break up and remove pavement by hand, a practice that has enabled Depave Portland to convert over 8.7 acres of pavement to vibrant green space across more than 80 locations. Please join us, and bring your lunch, as we build our NYC depaving network!
Speaker:
Arif Khan, Founder, Depave
About Arif Khan
Arif Khan founded Depave, an award-winning nonprofit organization that helps communities transform underused parking lots into greenspaces and gardens. He also spearheaded the creation of the first-ever community food garden on international territory in the “backyard” of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He has also designed and managed refugee camps and initiated disaster relief projects that supported hundreds of thousands of people in the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. He currently lives in the New York Hudson Valley where he runs an Ayurvedic-inspired snack brand called Chikka Chikka with his wife Sabeen. He is also a volunteer firefighter, and consults for nonprofits and public agencies.
About Depave
Depave is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon that works with communities to remove unnecessary pavement and transform those areas into vibrant, livable green spaces. Partnering with schools, churches, affordable housing sites, and community hubs, the organization focuses re-greening efforts on historically disenfranchised areas that lack access to nature, replacing concrete with community gardens, nature play areas, and tree canopies.
