Intersections between public and private: community gardens, community service and geographies of care in the US City of Buffalo, NY

Urban Farm DB summary

A mixed-methods case study drawn from a larger study of community gardens in Buffalo, New York, United States. It examines issues of public space, citizenship, gender and race in the context of state restructuring and welfare reform that shifted responsibility for social services toward private communities through elimination, privatization or devolvement. The study found connections between community organizations' commitment to community gardening and their involvement in providing social, youth and emergency services, including after-school programs, tutoring, refugee services and winter coat drives. It concludes that the everyday lives of Buffalo residents cannot be separated from the effects of larger structural processes such as deindustrialization, privatization and state restructuring.