Community Gardens

Close-up of man painting white and yellow crosswalk on asphalt.

Guerilla Urbanism: Small Interventions, Big Impact

Citizen-led projects can lead to broader changes — if cities will listen.

March 24, 2024 - Congress For New Urbanism

Urban Garden

How Nonprofits Are Shaping Sustainable Cities

Learn about nonprofits' pivotal role in urban sustainability, from policy advocacy to launching eco-initiatives that are transforming cityscapes for the better.

March 19, 2024 - Devin Partida

Lush urban community garden with raised beds in dense New York City neighborhood with brick apartment buildings in background.

State Bill Protects New York’s Community Gardens

The legislation recognizes community gardens as vital urban spaces and an effective weapon against the impacts of climate change on cities.

July 28, 2023 - The New York Times

Community Garden

No Connection Between Gardens and Gentrification in Detroit, Study Says

Research from late 2021 documented the footprint of urban gardens in Detroit, finding evidence of inequities but not gentrification.

June 3, 2022 - WDET

Los Angeles State Historic Park

Documenting L.A.'s Reclaimed Industrial Sites

Community activists across the city have fought to clean up, preserve, and enhance former industrial sites as parks, community gardens, and green spaces.

July 13, 2021 - High Country News

Hydroponic Farming

A Microfarm Grows in an L.A. Front Yard

The founder of Asante Microfarm hopes his farm will serve as a model for bringing fresh produce to underserved communities.

May 20, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Community Opposition and a Rezoning Controversy in Philadelphia

The local councilmember is seeking a rezoning from commercial to residential in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, but local community members say the development will be priced out of their range.

September 3, 2020 - WHYY

Stone Arch Bridge

Minneapolis Looking to Rehabilitate Green Zones

Areas of the city historically overburdened with air pollution and brownfield sites will be targeted with local food programs and policies to create and bolster green spaces.

July 11, 2018 - Sustainable City Networks

Philadelphia Urban Farm

Development Boom Threatens Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture

As land values rise, more than 200 community gardens in Philadelphia could be lost to redevelopment.

April 10, 2018 - Plan Philly

Pittsburgh to Gain a 23-Acre, $10 Million Urban Farm

The Hilltop Urban Farm project is moving along in Pittsburgh. Few, if any, community gardens have been built on this scale before.

August 29, 2017 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bhaji Bazaar

Education and Nutrition Flourish Together

"A hungry world is not a just world," says one of the local residents quoted in this story about a community garden in Denver.

July 26, 2017 - The Denver Post

Urban Garden

An Ambitious Revitalization Partnership in Detroit

Bringing together the city, developers, and philanthropic support, Fitz Forward aims to redevelop 300 parcels. Backers hope it will serve as a model for other neighborhoods.

May 2, 2017 - Next City

Farmed Here Aquaponics

Urban Farming—Just for the Few?

Urban agriculture likely has more social than material impacts. But who does it benefit most?

October 24, 2016 - Vox

Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

Taking Urban Agriculture For What It Is

New research suggests urban agriculture’s biggest yields are social, cultural, and educational.

May 17, 2016 - Take Part

Community Gardens are Collateral Damage in New York's Affordable Housing Plans

Here's a head scratcher: in its ambition to meet the affordable housing goals of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development has proposed the redevelopment of 15 community gardens on city-owned property.

January 24, 2015 - Brownstoner

Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

10 of the Best Urban Agriculture Projects

Urban Land surveys ten of the best recent examples of development projects that incorporate agricultural facilities—from New York to new Orleans.

January 6, 2015 - Urban Land

How the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust Gets the Job Done

In a city of increasingly scarce land, the Los Angeles Neighborhood land Trust has a track record of ushering community gardens and other public health resources in low-income communities.

January 2, 2015 - Seedstock

Community Gardens as Harbingers of Gentrification

Lauren Markham examines the value of community gardens to the bottom lines of developers—because one person's blighted back yard can easily become another person's veggie garden marketing pitch.

May 30, 2014 - The New Yorker

Community Gardening Program Feeds Those Hungry for Improving San Jose's Poor Neighborhoods

San Jose's Garden to Table program is just one of several initiatives led by CommUniverCity that are collectively giving disadvantaged residents the tools to improve their personal health and the health of their communities.

August 15, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Bhaji Bazaar

Urban Farming Model Takes Off In Boston Suburb

A suburban farming model based on shared private garden plots springs up in Needham, Massachusetts. Could Kate Canney's experiment be an antidote to the challenge of finding farmland that plagues prospective farmers nationwide?

February 13, 2013 - Mother Earth News

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.