Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

community gardens

community gardens

  • Growing to Love New York City’s Soils

    A community garden (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

    As urbanites, it is easy to disregard the ground beneath our feet. As we sidestep tumbleweeds of trash or awkwardly circumvent waste from any of New York City’s 508,000 registered dogs, we tend to lose not only the forestand

    Envisioning a Community Farm for Our Neighborhood, and Yours

    comm fence group

    The Brooklyn lot in question

    Our needs for housing, food security, health, and green open spaces are all critical. Therefore, city policies and planning must not pit these needs against each other. 

    Seldom considered are the health benefits provided by greenery. Connection with nature has been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels, and positively impact the nervous system. Green vegetation in open social

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  • Soil Scientists’ Advice to Urban Gardeners: Test for Lead

    scientists advice

    (photo: @NYCzerowaste)

    In the past few years, the issue of soil contamination has gained the attention of environmental groups in New York City. New Yorkers have ample reason to be concerned about their soil. While the city is cleaner than it used to be, decades of pollution left our local soil thick with toxic levels of heavy metals. For years, the presence and persistence of these toxicants were unknown, posing risks to all urban residents.

    Fortunately, public support for environmental protection has rehabilitated much of our city soil. But, there is still more

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