CAN – What is a Home?

Please note that this retail site has been briefly taken over as a Polling Station for the General Election – Community Action Nelson will return in late October. In the meantime, they’re still very active – best to check their Facebook page.

CAN is holding a series of Lunchtime Talks on Tuesdays between 12.30pm–1.30pm
– 18 Aug – Richard Popenhagen – How subdivisions can influence house design
– 25 Aug – Ian McComb – Developer-led co-housing
– 1 Sept – Richard Sellars – Continuum Architecture
– 8 Sept – Jace Hobbs  – NZ Transition to Affordable Communities
– 15 Sept – Community Housing Panel discussion – Abbeyfield, NTHT and Habitat
– 22 Sept – Amanda Kane – Shared Equity – a personal innovation
– 29 Sept – Maxine Day – Nelson Plan and our housing future
– 6 Oct – Joe Higgins – Urban farming

Bringing the housing issue to town
Partnering with Make/Shift Spaces, CAN is putting housing issues into the public area. 

We all know how housing costs have a very real impact on the our health and mental state. 

• If your house is cold and damp, your kids get sick. 
• If you don’t have a secure lease, you may have to move frequently and your kids may have to start a new school…often. 
• If you can only get a house for the winter, and your landlord wants you out for more lucrative summer rentals – where do you go?  

CAN believes there are ways to make more affordable and more diverse housing options available in Nelson. And to make renting more secure, stable and affordable.

Partnering to shift perception 
Nelson City Council’s Intensification Action Plan identifies the issue of perception. We’re working on this: 

‘Changing the public perception of housing intensification, and improving capability and capacity for the market to deliver housing within existing neighbourhoods.’

Other partners in this project include Creative Communities, Fresh FM, Te Ramaroa (Light Nelson) and Voice Collective. 

Let’s take a creative look at housing intensification
Think Barcelona, Dublin or Melbourne…people living in more intensified cities bring increased diversity and social connection, vibrancy and creativity to make a more liveable place for all.

By going up and clustering homes we can increase shared outside space and encourage a sense of community. 

We also learnt with Covid 19 that being self-sufficient in food is important – let’s stop subdividing the fertile Waimea Plains! 

By sharing ideas and visualising options we hope people will see the ways that affordable and diverse housing options could be part of Nelson’s cityscape and lifestyle. 

Housing in Nelson at Make/Shift Spaces
Come along to our space at the corner of Collingwood and Hardy Streets to experience an informative, fun, interactive space showcasing various housing options for inner city dwelling.  

We plan to hold weekly lunch-time sessions for presentations, TED talks, or conversation opportunities. 

There’s a conversational area and a creative drawing, model-making space for children and adults.

Check out the footprint of a tiny house – could you live here? 

Take in our latest slide shows and 3D visual displays from local designers and architects. 

Write your thoughts on a post-it note, join a discussion – be part of the solution to more affordable homes in Nelson-Tasman.