Many people living in low-income housing do not have easy access to fresh produce and green spaces. However, some developers are tackling the problem by creating spaces for tenants to garden. Via Verde, a housing project in the Bronx, not only provides rooftop community gardens and edible landscaping, but also partnered with a nonprofit to teach residents about gardening, healthy eating, and cooking. A Seattle-area affordable housing development worked with its predominantly immigrant community to ensure its community garden incorporates culturally appropriate foods, such as bok choy and lemongrass. But, community gardens offer more than food security, a study of a Sydney housing project’s community garden shows that community gardens:
• promote physical health, by providing affordable produce and an opportunity to exercise;
• deliver psychological benefits, through increased social interaction, routine building, and intellectual stimulation; and
• build social capital, by bringing together populations that are diverse in age and culture.
Source: Office of Legislative Research, 5/1/13, Community Gardens, Healthy Communities
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