Community Gardens

Guerilla Urbanism: Small Interventions, Big Impact
Citizen-led projects can lead to broader changes — if cities will listen.

How Nonprofits Are Shaping Sustainable Cities
Learn about nonprofits' pivotal role in urban sustainability, from policy advocacy to launching eco-initiatives that are transforming cityscapes for the better.

State Bill Protects New York’s Community Gardens
The legislation recognizes community gardens as vital urban spaces and an effective weapon against the impacts of climate change on cities.

No Connection Between Gardens and Gentrification in Detroit, Study Says
Research from late 2021 documented the footprint of urban gardens in Detroit, finding evidence of inequities but not gentrification.

Documenting L.A.'s Reclaimed Industrial Sites
Community activists across the city have fought to clean up, preserve, and enhance former industrial sites as parks, community gardens, and green spaces.

A Microfarm Grows in an L.A. Front Yard
The founder of Asante Microfarm hopes his farm will serve as a model for bringing fresh produce to underserved communities.

Community Opposition and a Rezoning Controversy in Philadelphia
The local councilmember is seeking a rezoning from commercial to residential in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, but local community members say the development will be priced out of their range.

Minneapolis Looking to Rehabilitate Green Zones
Areas of the city historically overburdened with air pollution and brownfield sites will be targeted with local food programs and policies to create and bolster green spaces.

Development Boom Threatens Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture
As land values rise, more than 200 community gardens in Philadelphia could be lost to redevelopment.
Pittsburgh to Gain a 23-Acre, $10 Million Urban Farm
The Hilltop Urban Farm project is moving along in Pittsburgh. Few, if any, community gardens have been built on this scale before.

Education and Nutrition Flourish Together
"A hungry world is not a just world," says one of the local residents quoted in this story about a community garden in Denver.

An Ambitious Revitalization Partnership in Detroit
Bringing together the city, developers, and philanthropic support, Fitz Forward aims to redevelop 300 parcels. Backers hope it will serve as a model for other neighborhoods.

Urban Farming—Just for the Few?
Urban agriculture likely has more social than material impacts. But who does it benefit most?

Taking Urban Agriculture For What It Is
New research suggests urban agriculture’s biggest yields are social, cultural, and educational.
Community Gardens are Collateral Damage in New York's Affordable Housing Plans
Here's a head scratcher: in its ambition to meet the affordable housing goals of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development has proposed the redevelopment of 15 community gardens on city-owned property.

10 of the Best Urban Agriculture Projects
Urban Land surveys ten of the best recent examples of development projects that incorporate agricultural facilities—from New York to new Orleans.
How the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust Gets the Job Done
In a city of increasingly scarce land, the Los Angeles Neighborhood land Trust has a track record of ushering community gardens and other public health resources in low-income communities.
Community Gardens as Harbingers of Gentrification
Lauren Markham examines the value of community gardens to the bottom lines of developers—because one person's blighted back yard can easily become another person's veggie garden marketing pitch.
Community Gardening Program Feeds Those Hungry for Improving San Jose's Poor Neighborhoods
San Jose's Garden to Table program is just one of several initiatives led by CommUniverCity that are collectively giving disadvantaged residents the tools to improve their personal health and the health of their communities.

Urban Farming Model Takes Off In Boston Suburb
A suburban farming model based on shared private garden plots springs up in Needham, Massachusetts. Could Kate Canney's experiment be an antidote to the challenge of finding farmland that plagues prospective farmers nationwide?
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research