RE: NYC community garden research

I've sent you some personal contact information off-list re zoning and gardens in Hell's Kitchen.
 
Before you get down to NYC, you must read Malve von Hassel's "The Struggle for Eden: CommunityGardens in New York" by Malve von Hassell, Bergin & Garvey; Greenwood Publishing Group. 2002" which was reviewed in the latest issue of "HortIdeas." It's an expensive book, but it might be in the reserve collection at UB. I'm sure that Cornell has a copy - see if it's available by Inter-University loan. Von Hassell's other book, , "Homesteading in NYC, 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida" Bergin & Garvey 1999 ISBN: 0-89789-651-3 provides a good cultural background on the lower east side neighborhood. Both should give you a sense of context for your planning study.

Of course can find both books at a good University library or the Greenwood Publications website http://www.greenwood.com , searching under author.

 
Some homework for anyone who wants to understand how we can have 800 community gardens in NYC, on some of the most overvalued real-estate in the world.
 
1) Here is the website of the NYC Dept of City Planning ("NYDCP") which has a number of highly valuable links.  You may have to download Adobe Acrobat to print sections that you want, but that program is usually available free of charge:
 
2) Here  is the Web version of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York which includes all text amendments approved by the City Council up to September 25, 2002. Please note that there is an interim period between the date when the City Council adopts a text or mapping amendment to the Zoning Resolution and the date that this web site is updated.  These are the "rules of baseball" and it's best to make yourself a pot of tea and read. If it makes your eyes glaze over, not to worry, it does that to $500 an hour real estate attorneys.  Low rent volunteer   http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dcp/html/subcats/zoning.html
 
3) This is Article IX: Special Purpose Districts, Chapter 6 "Special Clinton District" as amended 12/19/01. What is written ( and isn't written) in Article IX, Chapter 6 explains why the creation of third of an acre Clinton Community garden was possible in the midst of midtown Manhattan.
  
 
4) This is the website of the Clinton Community Garden , http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org - the historical section can give you some of the reason why this small piece of "citizen managed public green space" (a definition that some folks belive that I coined - been saying it so long, it might be true ;) ) is the only community garden listed in the NYS attorney general's settlement memorandum as premanent parkland. 
 
5) From NY State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer's web page:
 
The Community Garden Settlement:
 
 
 
The list of gardens covered under the settlement by borough:
 
 
6) You need to also read posting made to this listserve by Lenny Librizzi, myself and others on this community garden settlement, the NYS parkland issue, etc.  In fact, if you go back through 2000 and read forward on this issue, you will have an interesting archive on how this land use issue was resolved.
 
If you are doing due dilligence on your report, you need to contact these busy people and not expect them to contact you from this listserve. You're going to have to be proactive about this; Only by contacting all of them will you get a sense of what the whole elephant looks like.  Yeah, you can say that I suggested that you contact them.  Some like me, some don't - most should give you the time of day.
 
7) In formation: you  should try to contact the nice folks at Green Thumb ( Edie Stone and crew)http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/ ; the Council for the Environment ( Lenny Librizzi and Gerard Lordahl) http://www.cenyc.org/ ; The Trust for Public Land in NYC ( go to New York, then NYC programs - Joanne Morse) http://www.tpl.org/ ; The New York Restoration Project ( Joseph Puppello)  http://www.nyrp.org/ ; Green Guerillas ( Steve Frillman, Ximena Naranjo) http://users.rcn.com/ggsnyc/ ; The Neighborhood Open Space Coalition ( Dave Lutz and Toby Brandt) http://www.treebranch.com/nosc/ ; Brooklyn Greenbridge Director and ACGA President Ellen Kirby is an important source: http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/urban/greenbridge/index.html ; Carolyn Ratcliffe at La Plaza Cultural is an excellent person to contact re LES community gardening: http://www.laplazacultural.org/ ;  More Gardens! ( Aresh Jahadi /Mark Leger - I don't always see things the way that they do, but their take is legitimate and both are advocates for community gardens) http://www.moregardens.org/moregardens/ .
 
8) The Cornell University Garden Mosaics program has collected a great deal of information that could be key to your understanding of what community gardens do in NYC:
 
 
Good luck with your thesis:
 
Adam Honigman
Volunteer, Clinton Community Garden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Brian Kehoe [mailto:brkehoe@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 12:37 PM
To: community_garden@mallorn.com
Subject: [cg] NYC community garden research

I introduced myself to this listserv about a month ago. 
I am a Master's in Planning student at SUNY Buffalo and have begun work on a thesis about community gardens. 
I will be in NYC researching community gardens from Jan 7th - 11th.
Could I ask for the assistance of some NYC gardeners?  Would any knowledgeable people be interested in talking with me?
 
I have reviewed the topical literature and understand some of the pertinent issues.
My thesis topic is not yet tightly defined but I hope to explore the nexus of community gardens and land use and land value.
 
My hunch is that NYC could provide a sufficient "database" to answer whatever questions my thesis poses.
  
I would appreciate any and all help with my research. 
I believe my work will provide useful information for community gardeners and planners.  
 
Sincerely,
Brian Kehoe
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