Community Gardens & The Boston Food Environment
Community Gardens & The Boston Food Environment: A Spatial Analysis Urban Food Lab Mabe Garcia, Matt Gardner, Lauren Martin, Michael Mastrobuoni, Ashley McCulley Northeastern University
Project Overview
Locate Food Deserts
Measure Garden Access
Community Gardens and Safety
Summary of Recommendations
Research Questions
•
Are community gardens reaching areas that need access to fresh food?
•
How do community gardens impact the surrounding neighborhood?
•
Where can BNAN expand its community gardening program?
•
What future research should be completed?
LOCATING FOOD DESERTS
How Did We Define Food Deserts?
Prevalence of Convenience Stores in Boston Neighborhoods
Prevalence of Fast Food Stores in Boston Neighborhoods
Mattapan
Mattapan Food Desert Spotlight
Mattapan Food Desert Spotlight
How does City Natives impact the surrounding community? City Natives Service Area
Recommendations Develop community gardens in or near census block groups that we have identified as food deserts.
• • • •
Mattapan West Roxbury Brighton East Boston
Foreclosed housing units as garden sites.
MEASURING COMMUNITY GARDEN ACCESS
Who has access to a community garden?
Case Study: Do Community Gardens Actually Serve their Immediate Neighborhoods?
Fenway Neighborhood Gardeners Gardeners from other Boston Neighborhoods
Recommendations 1. Conduct a more detailed analysis of community garden service areas.
• •
Do BNAN community gardeners come from the immediate neighborhood? Why or why not?
2. Prioritize access to all future community gardens to residents living within ¼ mile. •
If BNAN wants to increase fresh food access and improve communities through gardening, immediate residents should be given priority to garden access.
COMMUNITY GARDENS AND SAFETY
How do Community Gardens Contribute to Neighborhood Safety? Boston Parks and Crime
Boston Gardens and Crime
Case Study: How Do Community Gardens Impact Crime in the Dorchester Neighborhood?
Why choose open space instead of development? Aren’t we in a housing shortage?
Recommendations 1. Open up the vacant land process • • •
Plot acquisition Cleaning & development Zoning
2. The perception of the impact – qualitative data • • • • •
Green spaces as a priority for vacant land use Neighborhood cohesion Community engagement Ownership of place Resident perceptions of safety: survey data & field work
Summary of Recommendations 1. Develop gardens in food desert communities. 2. Give immediate residents priority to all or some of the garden plots if the gardens are located in food deserts. 3. Conduct more detailed analysis of the impact of gardens on neighborhood safety and include a portion of research involving field work.
Project Overview
Locate Food Deserts
Measure Garden Access
Community Gardens and Safety
Summary of Recommendations
Research Questions
•
Are community gardens reaching areas that need access to fresh food?
•
How do community gardens impact the surrounding neighborhood?
•
Where can BNAN expand its community gardening program?
•
What future research should be completed?
LOCATING FOOD DESERTS
How Did We Define Food Deserts?
Prevalence of Convenience Stores in Boston Neighborhoods
Prevalence of Fast Food Stores in Boston Neighborhoods
Mattapan
Mattapan Food Desert Spotlight
Mattapan Food Desert Spotlight
How does City Natives impact the surrounding community? City Natives Service Area
Recommendations Develop community gardens in or near census block groups that we have identified as food deserts.
• • • •
Mattapan West Roxbury Brighton East Boston
Foreclosed housing units as garden sites.
MEASURING COMMUNITY GARDEN ACCESS
Who has access to a community garden?
Case Study: Do Community Gardens Actually Serve their Immediate Neighborhoods?
Fenway Neighborhood Gardeners Gardeners from other Boston Neighborhoods
Recommendations 1. Conduct a more detailed analysis of community garden service areas.
• •
Do BNAN community gardeners come from the immediate neighborhood? Why or why not?
2. Prioritize access to all future community gardens to residents living within ¼ mile. •
If BNAN wants to increase fresh food access and improve communities through gardening, immediate residents should be given priority to garden access.
COMMUNITY GARDENS AND SAFETY
How do Community Gardens Contribute to Neighborhood Safety? Boston Parks and Crime
Boston Gardens and Crime
Case Study: How Do Community Gardens Impact Crime in the Dorchester Neighborhood?
Why choose open space instead of development? Aren’t we in a housing shortage?
Recommendations 1. Open up the vacant land process • • •
Plot acquisition Cleaning & development Zoning
2. The perception of the impact – qualitative data • • • • •
Green spaces as a priority for vacant land use Neighborhood cohesion Community engagement Ownership of place Resident perceptions of safety: survey data & field work
Summary of Recommendations 1. Develop gardens in food desert communities. 2. Give immediate residents priority to all or some of the garden plots if the gardens are located in food deserts. 3. Conduct more detailed analysis of the impact of gardens on neighborhood safety and include a portion of research involving field work.
