1. “the most important word in
community garden is not garden”
-Jack Hale, quoted in Mark Winne’s “Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table
in the Land of Plenty” 2008!
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.!
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en_US!
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
2. BEYOND
RAISED BEDS:
HOW CITIES + TOWNS
BENEFIT FROM
COMMUNITY GARDENS
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
3. 1: Seeing community gardens
as part of their context
2: Seeing community gardens
as multi-functional tools
3: Seeing municipal government as
partners in community gardening
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
4. Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
5. 1: Seeing community gardens
as part of their context
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
6. Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
7. 2: Seeing community gardens
as multi-functional tools
from “Cities, Poverty, and Food: Multi-Stakeholder Policy and Planning in Urban
Agriculture”,Marianne Dubbeling et al.
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
8. Of 766 adults surveyed in a Flint, Michigan study,
how likely were families to eat 5 or more fruits and
vegetables a day?
SOCIAL BENEFITS
Public Health:!
• Food access!
• Physical activity!
• Obesity prevention!
FAMILIES WITHOUT A
COMMUNITY GARDENER
FAMILIES WITH A
COMMUNITY GARDENER
3.5x
more
likely
How many people in an Oregon garden study
reported eating vegetables “several times a day”?
BEFORE COMMUNITY
GARDENING
18%
85%
AFTER COMMUNITY
GARDENING
People in the Oregon study that reported frequently
worrying that monthly food money would run out?
Alaimo et al., Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Urban Community Gardeners.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (2008).
Carney et al., Impact of a Community Gardening Project on Vegetable Intake
Food Security, and Family Relationships: a community-based research study.
Journal of Community Health (2012).
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
31%
BEFORE COMMUNITY
GARDENING
AFTER COMMUNITY
GARDENING
3%
9. SOCIAL BENEFITS
Public Health:!
• Food access!
• Physical activity!
• Obesity prevention!
Zick et al., Harvesting More than Vegetables: The potential weight control
benefits of community gardening. American Journal of Public Health (2013).
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
10. SOCIAL BENEFITS
Public Health:!
• Food access!
• Physical activity!
• Obesity prevention!
Friendship, neighborhood
connections!
London Capital Growth:
71% of people have
made a new friend
because they started
growing food
Growing Success: The impact of Capital Growth on community food growing in
London. 2008. found here: http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=264
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
11. SOCIAL BENEFITS
Public Health:!
• Food access!
• Physical activity!
• Obesity prevention!
Friendship, neighborhood
connections!
Strengthened community
leadership, outreach, and
volunteerism !
Teig, E., Amulya, J., Buchenau, M., Bardwell, L., Marshall, J., Litt, J.S,
Collective efficacy in Denver, Colorado: Strengthening neighborhoods and
health through Community Gardens. Health and Place. 15 (2009), 1115-1122.
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
12. SOCIAL BENEFITS
In Philadelphia, “burglaries and thefts
in one precinct dropped by 90% after
Public Health:!
• Food access!
• Physical activity!
• Obesity prevention!
police helped residents clean up vacant
lots and plant gardens”
Friendship, neighborhood
connections!
Strengthened community
leadership, outreach, and
volunteerism!
Crime reduction !
Englander, D. (2001). New York’s community gardens – A resource at risk.
Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://tpl.org
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
vs.
13. ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Surrounding residential
property value increases!
up to
Voicu, Ioan and Been, Vicki, The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring
Property Values. Real Estate Economics, Vol. 36, Issue 2, pp. 241-283,
Summer 2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1127945 or http://
dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6229.2008.00213.x
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
9.4%
property
value
increase
den
s
Gar
iu ity
n
rad
00’ ommu
0 C
1
of a
14. ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Surrounding residential
property value increases!
Home ownership is higher
around community gardens!
Voicu, Ioan and Been, Vicki, The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring
Property Values. Real Estate Economics, Vol. 36, Issue 2, pp. 241-283,
Summer 2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1127945 or http://
dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6229.2008.00213.x
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
15. ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Surrounding residential
property value increases!
Home ownership is higher
around community gardens!
Economic impact at the family
level: value of food grown!
every $1 invested in a community
garden plot yields approximately
$6 worth of vegetables
a community garden can yield
between $500 and $2,000 worth
of produce per family per year
Hagey et al. Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for
Improving Access to Healthy Food and Revitalizing Communities (2012)
http://www.policylink.org/atf/cf/%7B97C6D565-BB43-406D-A6D5ECA3BBF35AF0%7D/URBAN%20AG_FULLREPORT_WEB1.PDF
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
16. ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS
Composting reduces trash
to landfill!
Gardens provide biological
diversity: Bees, insects,
birds, worms!
Organic soils slow
stormwater runoff!
ecological benefits to
neighborhood + city
Green space reduces
urban heat island effect!
The Freshwater Society. Urban Agriculture as a Green Stormwater
Management Strategy (2013) http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/UserFiles/File/
2012%20Clean%20Water%20Summit/Freshwater%20Urban%20Ag%20White
%20Paper%20Final.pdf
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
sales of food grown
on the sites
17. 3: Seeing municipal government as
partners in community gardening
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
18. MUNICIPAL POSITIONS ON
COMMUNITY GARDENS
Non-engaged!
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
Actively
participating +
promoting!
19. MUNICIPAL POSITIONS ON
COMMUNITY GARDENS
Actively
participating +
promoting!
Non-engaged!
Citizen voices; !
Municipal recognition of
benefits!
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
20. Are there examples of cities and towns being
proactive partners in community gardens?
https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
21. Are there examples of cities and towns being
proactive partners in community gardens?
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/parks/community_garden.htm
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
22. Are there examples of cities and towns being
proactive partners in community gardens?
http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/HealthDepartment/MCFVC/Pages/
CommunityGardens.aspx
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
23. Resources on the benefits of Community
gardening:
1: Gardening Matters, Multiple Benefits of Community Gardening.!
http://www.gardeningmatters.org/sites/default/files/Multiple
%20Benefits_2012.pdf!
2: Centers for Disease Control, Community Gardens!
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/healthyfood/
community.htm!
3: American Community Gardening Association!
https://communitygarden.org!
4: NC Community Garden Partners!!
http://www.nccgp.org!
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
24. Common elements in local food
systems (or alternative food systems)
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
25. Home gardens
Vertical systems
Community gardens
Farm training
Community composting
Urban farms
Local aggregators
Municipal compost
Farmers markets
Farmstands
Festivals
Food incubators
Co-op groceries
City Food markets
Farm to table
Common elements in local food
systems (or alternative food systems)
Beyond Raised Beds: How cities and towns benefit from community gardens!
February 19, 2014!
Cottage industry
