Abstract
This paper extends on research that we shared in 2023. We use the term convivial greenstreets (CGs) in reference to yardless city streets that accommodate a higher-than-normal level of gardening by a diversity of residents, set within the interstitial spaces along sidewalks and building facades. Our investigation has already suggested that CGs may be associated with environmental and social benefits, including enhancing the livability of cities at the local neighborhood scale. Recently, we have begun examining the socio-psychological aspects of CG gardening and interactions between gardeners and passersby. What is emerging is a picture of the beneficial and growing contributions of CGs to life in the city—in this case in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Fishtown and Fitler Square. Respondents to our detailed survey questionnaire (n=25) were solidly in favor of robust greenstreet activities in their neighborhoods, with gardener-respondents explaining their motivations and values as key drivers of this informal, and often quite intimate, form of city-making. We conclude by highlighting those responses that called for policies and programs that would help support this particularly expressive and sustainable type of makeshift urbanism.
Presenters
Ken TammingaDistinguished Professor of Landscape Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture, Penn State University, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Convivial Greenstreet, Makeshift Urbanism, Urban Horticulture, Informal Environmental Design
