The Work of Community Gardens: Reclaiming Place for Community in the City

Abstract

The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their role in community empowerment in the contemporary city. In this article, we focus upon the work being done in community gardens, using gardening in Glasgow as a case study. We argue that while community gardening cannot be divorced from more regressive underlying economic and social processes accompanying neoliberal austerity policies, it does provide space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment. In developing this argument we use recent geographical scholarship concerning the generative role of place in bringing together individuals and communities in new collective forms of working. Community gardens are places that facilitate the recovery of individual agency, construction of new forms of knowledge and participation, and renewal of reflexive and proactive communities that provide broader lessons for building more progressive forms of work in cities.

Abandoned spaces and technology displacement by labour: the case of hand car washes

“…Accordingly there are four connections between the two research propositions that a study of hand car washes may distil; firstly, as living spaces, hand car washes may be a form of progressive social relations shaped by labour struggle over the distribution of surplus in economic restructuring or a product of worker repression and economic restructuring which disrupts established social relations by the tendency to informalisation (see Bair and Werner, : 119–125 on these potential distinctions). The latter contrasts with say community gardens which occupy abandoned spaces as a form of community empowerment, regeneration and local sustainability (Cumbers et al ., ). A second connection between the two propositions relates to the reconstitution of abandoned but now living spaces and the potential for capital to operate both formally, (as landlords, equipment and utility suppliers) and informally as hand car wash businesses.…”

Lasting Impacts in a Rural Community through Horticultural Activities

“…In general, horticultural activities are universally accessible, and studies have shown demographically that gardeners include people from all regions of the world, all ages, all education levels, and all income levels [1][2][3][4]. There are few, if any, cultural barriers that prevent a person from being able to perform horticultural activities; and consequently, community gardening projects have the potential to attract persons of diverse backgrounds.…”

“…Activities can often be performed settings and venues that are relaxing and tranquilizing, as well as equable, and people of all ages and diverse backgrounds can come together to accomplish these tasks [4]. In addition, many garden spaces require coordination of planting and selection of certain species; thus, fostering teamwork and cooperation, empowerment, and relationships among participants [4,8].…”

“…Activities can often be performed settings and venues that are relaxing and tranquilizing, as well as equable, and people of all ages and diverse backgrounds can come together to accomplish these tasks [4]. In addition, many garden spaces require coordination of planting and selection of certain species; thus, fostering teamwork and cooperation, empowerment, and relationships among participants [4,8]. In addition, there are multiple studies on the role of gardening in healing and prevention for individuals with high anxiety, vulnerability to substance abuse or addictions; and gardening can provide a valuable outlet for many individuals [2,6,7,[9][10][11][12].…”

Chili und Ribiselkuchen: Gemeinschaftsgärten im Wiener Gemeindebau als gemeinschaftliches Außenhaus

“…Gemeinschaftsgärten in den sozialen Wohnbau zu integrieren kann dieser sozialen Exklusivität entgegenwirken und gleichzeitig dazu beitragen, ein neues Potenzial an Flächen zu erschließen. In der wissenschaftlichen Literatur wurde das Thema Gemeinschaftsgärten im sozialen Wohnbau bisher kaum berücksichtigt (Lewis 1972;Kaplan/Kaplan 1989;Wakefield et al 2007;Cumbers et al 2018). Doch gerade in diesem Kontext erscheint das gemeinschaftliche Gärtnern aus mehreren Gründen sinnvoll.…”