RE: Greenspace Crime Security Issues

H* A*

Gerry:

Please check out these websites and their links thoroughly: 

American Community Gardening Association:
http://www.communitygarden.org/index.html ; 
The Trust for Public Land website: http://www.igc.apc.org/tpl 
TheUniversity of Wisconsin Eagle Heights Garden website:
http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~ehgarden ; 
The archives of this webserv : http://www.community_garden@mallorn.com 

I'd contact:
Gwenne Hayes-Stewart, Executive Director
Gateway Greening
P. O. Box 299 St, Louis MO 63166  314-577-9484  FAX 314-577-9435

Her group has commissioned a study from  the University of Missouri at St.
Louis, Public Policy and 
Research Centers  quantitatively measuring the effects of community gardens
on local communities. The U of M people  are known as a professional, rather
practical bunch who have done a lot of related work.  
It will not be a head in the sky academic journalistic masterpiece but a 
MIS tool that staff and volunteers can use for some time. Tell her I sent
you, she'll laugh because I made fun of this effort ( I've evolved, shall we
say.) 

For NYC Community Gardening/Land Use Issues:

Green Guerillas: http://www.greenguerillas.org

The NYC Community Garden Coalition:  http://www.nycgardens.org

Earth Celebrations:  http://www.earthcelebrations.com

Lower East Side Collective  http://www.panix.com/~jaynedoe ( this website
goes in and out: Tel: no. 212-774-4192)

BANG ( Brooklyn Alliance of Neighborhood Gardens) 771 Unions Street,
Brooklyn NY 11215, (718) 636-4273

Bronx Union of Gardeners ( Bronx Community Gardeners) (718) 410-8110

And last but not least, the website of the community garden that I'm
involved with The Clinton Community Garden in Hell's Kitchen NYC:
http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org . 

Do your homework on all of the above, there's alot of material for you to
wade through. . A small book called " Avant Gardening: Ecological Struggle
in The City & The World" published by Autonomedia/ PO Box 568, Williamsburg
Station/Brooklyn, NY 11211 http://www.autonomedia.org (718) 963-2603
(about $8.00) has a number of articles of the crunchy granola, marxist, and
highly practical varieties. Worth the read.

My two cents having helped create a commuity garden in a high crime area:
The local residents have to want the garden desperately enough to protect
it, work it, bug their elected officials about it, work with people who
don't look or talk like they do to make the garden work. Community gardening
is 50% gardening and 100% political and neighborhood activism. 

Good luck with your study. Tell me how it turns out.

Adam

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Gerry Santorto [SMTP:gsantoro@mcka.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 28, 2000 4:01 PM
> To:	community_garden@mallorn.com
> Subject:	[cg] Greenspace Crime Security Issues
> 
> I am looking for information regarding the security of greenspaces (urban
> gardens, forests, etc) that are located in high crime areas.  I am doing
> some research for Wayne State University (Detroit MI)-Center for Urban
> Labor and Metropolitan Affairs.  My thesis is for the reforestation of
> blighted commercial strips in certain areas of the city that have seen
> great disinvestment over the last three decades.
>  
> The criticism is that the areas will attract crime or will be unsafe in
> comparison to other blighted areas with dilapidated, abandonded buildings,
> or vacant property.  Do you have any information that would be helpful to
> defend my case.  Other case studies would be ideal, but not necessary.
>  
> Thanks for your help with this...
>  
> Gerard Santoro
> (248) 553-0290
>  
>  

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