Cultivating Environmental Justice: An Examination of the Potential for Community Gardens to be used as an Organizing Tool
Abstract
Examining community gardens through an “everyday environmental justice” lens, this paper looked at community gardens’ potential to be an organizing tool for systemic change towards more environmentally just urban communities. Surveys were distributed to 43 garden coordinators in Philadelphia, and from this pool four gardens were chosen to develop case studies, based on interviews with garden coordinators and supplemental print and online sources. Specific characteristics of the gardens were explored in the case studies, such as structure and history, as well as important issues and actions taken by the gardeners, to determine if those actions most aligned with community organizing, community building, or garden improvement. The results indicated that the actions taken by community gardeners tend to be for the purpose of community building, and that when organizing does take place there is an outside driving force. While further research can determine what factors act as a catalyst to foster community organizing through a garden, the implications of this study reinforce the need for cities to protect existing gardens and expand opportunities for the creation of new gardens.
Final Master's Paper | |
File Size: | 407 kb |
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Conceptual Framwork | |
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Community Garden Survey | |
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Access to Fresh Foods Chart | |
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Map of Community Gardens | |
File Size: | 70 kb |
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Literature Cited | |
File Size: | 71 kb |
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