2020/03/04 by Katie L. Butterfield
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Organic Food and Agriculture #Urban Agriculture and Sustainability #Urban Green Space and Health
paper · doi:10.1177/0731121420908902
openalex publication_date 2020/03/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Community gardens provide food, health, and sustainability benefits to surrounding communities. Research demonstrates that low-income or ethnic minority communities develop gardens to resist divestment and provide access to healthy food, whereas white or highly educated communities develop gardens to address local sustainability concerns. Missing from this discussion is a comprehensive picture of the relationship between neighborhood composition and community garden locations. Using GrowNYC and GreenThumb’s 2014 survey of New York City community gardens, this study employs negative binomial and spatial regression methods to examine this relationship. Findings reveal increased numbers of gardens in communities with higher aggregate concentrations of (1) black and/or Latino residents, (2) lower income residents, and (3) well-educated residents, regardless of ethnicity or income. In keeping with qualitative research on motivations for garden development, this study provides crucial quantitative metrics suggesting the diversity of neighborhoods with community gardens and supports their inclusion in urban public policy and city planning.