Abstract
Founded in 1934, The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the nation’s oldest and largest public housing agency. Nearly half a million people live in NYCHA’s 334 housing developments located throughout the five boroughs. If a NYCHA resident wants to garden, he or she may submit a garden application to his or her development’s management office and begin to garden in a place approved by the development’s manager. Some developments have preordained places for their residents to garden, complete with fences. In other developments, residents simply choose a place on the development’s grounds, such as a part of a lawn close to their apartment, and begin to garden. NYCHA will reimburse the gardener for up to $40 of his or her gardening expenses and will also provide seeds, bulbs, starter plants, compost, and some technical assistance. NYCHA is supportive of resident gardening because it is an economically efficient means of grounds beautification, as well as being environmentally beneficial and connected to a decrease in crime and vandalism on development grounds (Bennaton, 2009; Lewis, 1988). Currently, there are over 600 public housing residents gardening on NYCHA grounds (Bennaton, 2009). The table below offers basic information on different types of gardens in New York City.
Recommended Citation
Sepanski, Lauren FCRH '12
(2014)
"Tending the Flowers, Cultivating Community: Gardening on New York City Public Housing Sites,"
The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://research.library.fordham.edu/furj/vol2/iss1/7