Community gardens: Shifting identity, shifting meaning, shifting context

The phrase Community Gardens, usually elicits images and feelings of a communally shared neighborhood space. This image is reinforced with stories of community gardens bringing a neighborhood together. In this study five permanent community gardens were investigated to determine how they continue to function in the face of gentrification. The study examines three specific themes: (1) how gardens are run, (2) what motivates people to come to these spaces, and (3) how do these gardens respond to changing context? Using participant observations and unstructured interviews these three themes revealed a shift in identity, meaning, and context for the garden groups. These shifts reflect changes in garden members' connection, control and attachment to place. The study found a variety of organizational strategies, motivations, and struggles. The struggles reflected issues of control, image, and motivation. This study illustrates the benefit community gardens provide neighborhoods while revealing the struggles they continue to face despite having permanent status.