Community garden management for resilient cities: A case study in suburban Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic
Shimpo N.
Landscape and Urban Planning, 251:105148
Urban Farm DB summary
Analyses how a suburban-Tokyo community garden (Seseragi Garden, Hino City) was managed for resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardeners proactively set rules through discussion and sustained activity, helping maintain food security, physical and mental health, ikigai and social networks, thereby contributing to community resilience.
Key points
- 1Community gardeners in suburban Tokyo proactively established rules through discussion to quickly navigate the COVID-19 crisis.
- 2They sustained their gardening activities despite the pandemic.
- 3Sustained activities contributed to maintaining gardeners' physical and mental health.
- 4Notably, the activities helped gardeners maintain their ikigai (sense of purpose in life) during unusual times.
- 5Community gardens have the potential to contribute to urban resilience.
- 6Incorporating community gardens into urban green space planning is significant as a preparatory measure for future social crises.
Direction of conclusions
Each author conclusion is recorded only as a coded direction per topic. Read the original for the conclusion itself.
- Mental healthSupportsWith caveats
- Community cohesionSupportsWith caveats
Abstract and stored text
OpenAlexNumerous studies underscore the role of community gardens in sustaining food security, physical and mental health, and social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to community resilience in different contexts of each country. Despite the rich history of urban gardening, Japan remains a geographical gap. This study conducted a mixed-method case study in suburban Tokyo and addresses the unique response of community gardeners to the pandemic within the Japanese context. The survey revealed that gardeners proactively established rules to navigate the crisis quickly through discussion and sustained their gardening activities. The findings also showed that their continuing activities helped the gardeners maintaining physical and mental health, and notably keeping their ikigai, sense of purpose in life in the unusual days. Thus, this study provided new evidence that community gardens may contribute to urban resilience, which indicates the significance of incorporating them into urban green space planning as a preparatory measure for future social crises.
Why it matters for urban farming
This study highlights how urban farms can be vital during crises like pandemics. By demonstrating that gardeners can self-organize to set rules and continue their activities, maintaining their health, social connections, and sense of purpose (ikigai), it showcases the inherent resilience of community-driven green spaces. For citizens, this means that participating in or establishing an urban farm isn't just about growing food; it's about building a robust community asset that provides essential well-being benefits and strengthens local resilience against unforeseen challenges. It also suggests that urban farms should be viewed by city planners not merely as amenities but as critical infrastructure for crisis preparedness.