Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2011·United States (Los Angeles)

Community Gardens, Ghetto Pastoral, and Environmental Justice

Robert Emmett

ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment

Urban Farm DB summary

The South Central Farm in Los Angeles, a 14-acre community garden cultivated by hundreds of residents for over a decade, was a significant site against environmental racism. However, urban development ultimately led to its destruction. As of this writing, satellite images show the former lush gardens replaced by a scraped, vacant field, highlighting the impermanence of such community-led green spaces in the face of dominant urban development narratives.