Abstract
Climate change crisis and biodiversity extinction lead to transform our way of living on earth. These past years have changed our way of thinking toward the way we consume. Humanity has entered a new “transition”. Addressing the transformations of society through socio-ecological transitions leads to questioning the relationship of societies to their environment and territory. This paper observes and highlights the transition solutions that are arising all over the world, and specifically in Europe. Through a conceptual framework, the author connects two concepts that support social, economic and especially ecological transitions: the Community Gardens (CGs) and the Third Places. In fact, both are transition enhancers. And for good reason, these alternative places encourage eco-responsible practices, they participate in the reuse of abandoned places and develop new modes of production, consumption, and use. On one hand, Third places encourage a reduction in mobility by offering spaces where it is possible to work remotely. On the other hand, CGs facilitate informal interactions between people of the neighborhoods and urban territory. They could be real “resource” spaces. They are fertile ground for reinventing ways of acting on a citizen and local scale by taking up current environmental issues. These places are undoubtedly an example to follow and support in rethinking our impact on the world towards greater sustainability. This paper highlights the definitions and characteristics of the concepts of CGs and Third Places, and provides a sub-category of Third Places represented by CGs, the Natural Third Place.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
COMMUNITY GARDENS, NATURAL THIRD PLACES, SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSITIONS, URBAN SPACES, EUROPE
