Community Gardens In America

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Recommended: Disadvantages of community gardens

I.Introduction:

Community gardens around the world have been credited with an array of beneficial outcomes for participants and community members. These gardens have the capacity to promote local political activism; environmental education where participants learn about sustainable urban agriculture, biodiversity and improved waste management; and opportunities for training, employment and local economic development in the form of markets and food co-operatives. The most significant benefits are associated with individual and community health and well-being. These urban oases foster neighborhood ties and promote physical, social, and mental well-being.

The beneficial attributes of community gardens have been long recognized as a method to improve the quality of life for urban residents. In America, providing places for people to garden has been an innovative strategy to improve urban conditions since the 1890s when the gardening movement began in New York City and Detroit. By providing access to fresh organic produce, opportunities for physical activity, contact with nature, and neighborhood meeting places, these gardens have proven their capacity to promote …show more content…

Many of them were created in the 1970s, when landlords abandoned their buildings, which ended up burnt out and torn down. Community members, artists, and organizations worked to transform vacant lots and abandoned buildings into useful community gardens and spaces. Because landlords failed to pay taxes on them, they reverted to the city. However, the Guiliani administration transferred many of the properties to NYC Housing rather than NYC Parks and many of the gardens were auctioned off to developers. As a result, the gardens that remain today are not as widespread as they once were. Of the several hundred community gardens that previously existed in New York City, only 114 gardens have

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