Community gardening: cultivating subjectivities, space, and justice

Barron, Jennifer L.

doi:10.1080/13549839.2016.1169518

Cited by 92 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Amateur sport and fitness are just one kind of recreation. Other examples might include facilities for community gardening (Barron, 2017;Follmann & Viehoff, 2019;Tonkiss, 2013), amateur theatre (Becker, McCall, Morris, & Meshejian, 1989), or book clubs (Long, 2003).…”

Section: Transitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

2019

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Libraries, laundrettes, and lidos. Pizzerias, plazas, and playgrounds. Sidewalks, swimming pools, and schools. These are just some of the kinds of spaces and facilities that contribute to the public life of cities. Drawing on the arguments of the sociologist Eric Klinenberg, this article develops the concept of “social infrastructure” as a way to research and value these kinds of spaces. Social infrastructure helps in recognising the public dimensions of often overlooked and undervalued spaces. It draws attention to the breadth, depth, and textures of sociality that can be afforded by different urban environments. In developing the concept of social infrastructure, this article pulls together four related strands of social scientific inquiry: work on infrastructure; publicness and public space; sociality and encounter; and the politics of provision. An infrastructural approach to the topic of public space presents geographers with some productive tools for understanding the public life of cities.

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Section: Transitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

2019

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“…As one gardener told us: “This is all about an image for the city council to exploit, it is a highly visible project of the councilman, and they mostly care that it looks productive and that it looks nice”. Organised garden projects, as outlined in the introduction, can often promote ecological citizenship within the terms set by the state, creating neoliberal subjects (Barron ; Pudup ). We might note the use of an individual‐based competition to allocate the plots, as opposed to allocation based on social need or collective agreement.…”

Section: Negotiating State‐led and Autonomous Commonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomy, Erasure, and Persistence in the Urban Gardening Commons

Ginn

Ascensão

2018

Antipode

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Collective gardening spaces have existed across Lisbon, Portugal for decades. This article attends to the makeshift natures made by black migrants from Portugal's former colonies, and the racial urban geography thrown into relief by the differing fortunes of white Portuguese community gardening spaces. Conceptualising urban gardens as commons‐in‐the‐making, we explore subaltern urbanism and the emergence of autonomous gardening commons on the one hand, and the state erasure, overwriting or construction of top‐down commons on the other. While showing that urban gardening forges commons of varying persistence, we also demonstrate the ways through which the commons are always closely entwined with processes of enclosure. We further argue that urban gardening commons are divergent and cannot be judged against any abstract ideal of the commons. In conclusion, we suggest that urban gardening commons do not have a “common” in common.

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“…For example, while the more recent guerrilla gardening phenomenon might be seen as a radical and informal approach, Adams et al [37] describe it as occurring largely in harmony with existing uses of a place and not implicitly challenging the status quo. Elsewhere, Barron [38] argues that community gardens are particularly conducive to resisting neoliberal processes through the aim of advancing spatial justice through non-commodified means of accessing food in non-privatised spaces. What these manifestations are claimed to have in common with other types of community food growing activities and urban agriculture is their embodiment of the Lefebvrian 'right to the city' and a way of taking back land from authorities [39].…”

Section: Community Food Growing (Cfg): a Socio-political Activity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Food Growing in Parks? Assessing the Acceptability and Feasibility in Sheffield, UK

Nam

Dempsey

2018

Sustainability

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Urbanisation brings with it increased pressure on land and land uses, particularly green spaces. There has been considerable interest in community food growing in green spaces as part of a wide trend for gardening in the UK, which has been found to bring social, health, and well-being benefits. Such activity tends to take place in community-managed gardens and allotments. In light of the context of austerity within which local authority parks departments currently operate, this study tested the acceptability and feasibility of parks as a potential urban setting for Community Food Growing (CFG) in Sheffield, UK. Employing a combination of resident questionnaires and interviews with community groups and professionals, the study results showed localised differences in the acceptability and feasibility of CFG. Residents' propensity to want to get involved in CFG differed by age and household composition, which, if acted on across the city, could significantly change the demographic make-up of parks-based community groups in the city. Barriers to CFG in parks were described by community groups and park managers as security and vandalism, need for resources, and undue pressure on the local authority as land-owner. We discuss the emergent questions around who is best placed to manage urban parks, particularly when the public sector is subject to stringent austerity budget measures. The paper concludes with commentary and recommendations about the importance of governance arrangements if CFG is to be included as part of the activities supported and managed in urban parks.

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Community gardening: cultivating subjectivities, space, and justice

Cited by 92 publications

References 78 publications

Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

Autonomy, Erasure, and Persistence in the Urban Gardening Commons

Community Food Growing in Parks? Assessing the Acceptability and Feasibility in Sheffield, UK

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