Social Ecology
We studied the Cherry Street Community Garden as a microcosm of a community. The garden serves as an interactional space and a vibrant social setting. Sociologist Lyn Lofland (1998) describes such locations as “parochial spaces” where acquaintances and neighbors are involved in “interpersonal networks that are located within communities” (p. 9). While weeding, watering, or tending garden beds, garden club members socialize with each other. Social interactions in the garden decrease loneliness and isolation and enhances a sense of safety and community in the neighborhood.
The garden has spaces that encourage socialization, resting, contemplation, small meetings as well as big celebrations. One can enjoy the view of the garden sitting on a picnic table placed on the southwest corner, under the shade of a row of apple trees. Elderly gardeners sit on two benches close to the garden beds when they take a break. The large grassy strip on the south end of the garden accommodates large gatherings. The garden offers a free library for the children of the community. There are a variety of users in this garden. Gardeners meet neighbors, children from the nearby Kellogg Peak Initiative or the Penfield Montessori Academy. College students from UWM, MIAD, MSOE, and Marquette spend time volunteering. Social workers associated with the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, volunteers from the Hunger Task Force, church groups, and other youth-based organizations come to this space. The garden provides opportunities for gardeners, volunteers and visitors to connect, bridging weak ties, a term used by Nick Granovetter (1983) to describe relationships between acquaintances and strangers with few shared connections. Weak ties allow people to connect across diverse social networks, and in doing so, build strong social ties, create an inclusive community, and promote resilience. In order to examine the garden as a social space, we analyzed the physical organization of garden as well as the forms of interaction that take place in these spaces. |
Figure 1. Social System map of Cherry Street Community Garden
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Social Control and SurveillanceThere is evidence linking community gardens to improved safety in neighborhoods--that crime decreases in neighborhoods when the amount of green space increases (Shepley). As Jane Jacobs (1961) points out, urban neighborhoods can be safer when there are "eyes on the street.” We found that surveillance and community policing makes the Cherry Street Community Garden a very safe and social space.
Visibility is vital to the success of watchful neighborhood surveillance practiced by community members. The map below shows how residents surveil the Cherry Street Community Garden and makes sure that everything is safe. Residential buildings, paved streets, and alleyways surrounding the Cherry Street Community garden become sites of monitoring. Pet dogs too serve as a line of security by carefully guarding their street. Three houses adjacent to the garden have guard dogs . These dogs bark at strangers passing by the paths and alleyways and alert residents to potential trespassers. Their barking produces a sonic atmosphere that indirectly ensures the safety of those in the garden and alerts the neighbors to any imminent danger in their locality. A series of homes with porches and windows line the perimeter of the garden. Residents of these houses keep a watch on the garden. Sandra Webb, who lives across from the garden noted that she regularly sits on her front porch in order to observe the activities in and around the garden to make sure everything is safe. |
Ms. Sandra Webb talks about how she helps keep the garden safe and secure.
Figure 2. The surveillance visibility map of garden
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Signage and RegulationCommunity gardens are inclusive places, which encourage people making connections with each other and with the land. Yet the inclusiveness of public spaces can sometimes deter users who may fear and the presence of “undesirables” (Whyte, 1980). The Cherry Street Community Garden has established a set of rules of behavior and use for gardeners, neighbors, and children. These rules are prominently displayed and posted all along the garden perimeter and at the entrances.
A sign on the Southeast side of the garden describes the Cherry Street Community Garden Club and has information for those who are interested in renting a garden plot. There are signs that list all the organizations that support this garden. Another sign forbids climbing trees and reminds users that the garden is a dog feces-free zone. There is a sign that reminds gardeners to close the valve of the water tank after watering and one for compost bins and the bio-recycling bins. A sign prominently displays the information that this is a free garden that welcomes all community neighbors. |
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Sources
Granovetter, Mark. “Sociological Theory 1.” The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited, State University of New York, Department of Sociology, Albany, 1981, pp. 201–233. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House, 1961. Koskela, Hille. “‘The Gaze without Eyes’: Video-Surveillance and the Changing Nature of Urban Space.” Progress in Human Geography, vol. 24, no. 2, 2000, pp. 243–265., https://doi.org/10.1191/030913200668791096. Lefebvre, Henri. The Production of Space. Translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith, Blackwell, 1991. Lofland, Lyn H. The Public Realm: Exploring the City's Quintessential Social Territory. Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. Shepley M, Sachs N, Sadatsafavi H, Fournier C, Peditto K. The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 14;16(24):5119. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245119. PMID: 31847399; PMCID: PMC6950486. Whyte, William H. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Conservation Foundation, 1980. |
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