Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record1995·United States (New York City)

Urban Community Gardens as Contested Space

Karen Schmelzkopf

Geographical Review

Urban Farm DB summary

This article examines community gardens in Loisaida, a high-crime, poverty-stricken area of Manhattan's Lower East Side in New York City. The gardens provide social and economic functions, serving as safe open spaces for socialization and sources of food. A major problem identified is the competition for these sites between gardening and housing development.