scholarly journals The trouble with temporary: Impacts and pitfalls of a meanwhile community garden in Wythenshawe, South Manchester

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 548-557
Author(s):  
Rebecca St. Clair ◽  
Michael Hardman ◽  
Richard P. Armitage ◽  
Graeme Sherriff
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Fresh Fruit ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe rise of Urban Agriculture projects across the UK has led to a surge of interest in their efficacy and resulting social impacts. Real Food Wythenshawe is a Lottery-funded urban food project in the UK that aims to teach the population of Wythenshawe to grow their own food and to cook from scratch. The area, popularly referred to as ‘Europe's largest council estate’, suffers from high levels of deprivation and has been described as a ‘food desert’ due to a perceived lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables (Small World Consulting, 2013). In order to encourage Wythenshawe residents to grow their own food and to increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables, Real Food Wythenshawe aims to transform unused areas of land into growing spaces, such as allotments and community gardens. This paper focuses on research conducted at a community garden in Wythenshawe, established by Real Food Wythenshawe as an example of a ‘meanwhile’ or temporary growing site for people affected by cancer. The research investigated the impact of the growing activities on community garden participants through a series of observations and interviews. The findings suggest that the benefits of the space were multiple and diverse, ranging from increased growing knowledge to therapeutic effects, while there has been minimal effect on participants’ dietary behavior. The organization of the community garden also raises questions over some of the practicalities of temporary urban growing sites and highlights the tensions that can arise between small community growing groups and larger institutions with control over land use. These findings add to a growing body of research that considers the value of growing in the city and reflects on the role of community gardening in deprived urban areas of the UK.

scholarly journals Impact of community gardening on lifestyles' sustainability: quantitative & qualitative evaluation of a natural experiment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Tharrey ◽  
Ashby Sachs ◽  
Marlène Perignon ◽  
Chantal Simon ◽  
Caroline Mejean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
First Year ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Despite the increasing number of studies on gardening and health, evidence of health benefits of community gardening is limited by cross-sectional design. The “JArDinS” quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the impact of community garden participation on the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles in French adults. Methods: Individuals starting gardening in community gardens in Montpellier (France) in 2018 (N=66) were compared to pairwise matched individuals with no experience in community gardening (N=66). Monthly household food supplies, physical activity measured by accelerometers and questionnaires on physical, mental and social well-being, sensitivity to food waste, and connection with nature were used to explore sustainability of lifestyles in social/health, environmental and economic dimensions. Data were collected at baseline (t0) and 12 months later (t1). Linear mixed models were used to determine the independent effect of community gardening on investigated lifestyles components. In-depth interviews were conducted at t1 with 15 gardeners to better understand changes that may have occurred in gardeners’ lives during the first year of gardening.Results: At t0, gardeners had lower education level, lower BMI and reported lower percentage of meals consumed outside of the home in total household meals compared to non-gardeners (p<0.05). At t1, the mean weight of fruit and vegetables harvested from the garden was 19.5g/d/p. Participating in the community garden had no significant impact on any of the social/health, environmental and economic lifestyle components investigated. Qualitative interviews suggested the existence of pre-established health and environmental consciousness in some gardeners and revealed several barriers to the participation such as lack of time, lack of gardening knowledge, difficulty of gardening, health problems and conflicts with other gardeners. Conclusions: Using a longitudinal design allowing causality assessment, no impact was observed of the first year of community gardening on lifestyle sustainability. The pre-established sensitivity to sustainability and the various barriers encountered by new gardeners might explain the absence of community gardening impact. Further rigorous longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether or not community gardening is a relevant public health tool.Trial registration: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03694782. Date of registration: 3rd October 2018, retrospectively registered.

scholarly journals Impact of community gardens on the sustainability of lifestyles: baseline data of the JArDinS study

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tharrey ◽  
M Perignon ◽  
P Scheromm ◽  
C Mejean ◽  
N Darmon
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
Sustainable Lifestyles ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Despite growing evidence for the multiple health benefits of community gardening, longitudinal studies based on quantitative data are needed. JArDinS is a quasi-experimental study aimed at assessing the impact of community garden participation in the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles. Materials and Methods Gardeners starting gardening in a community garden in Montpellier (France) were recruited in 2018. Volunteers with no experience in community gardening and matched for age range, gender, household income and household composition were recruited in a control group. A recruitment goal of 80 participants per group was determined to detect a 30% increase in F&V supply in the gardeners group. Participant were issued with three tools: a Food Supply Dairy to collect data on monthly household’s food supply, a triaxial accelerometer to measure physical activity and an online questionnaire on mental and social health, sensitivity to food waste, and connection with nature. Measures have been collected at baseline and will be repeated 12 months later. Data collected are examined conjointly to assess the sustainability of lifestyles in its social/health, environmental and economic dimensions. Change of outcomes after 1 year will be compared between the natural experiment and the control groups, to evaluate the effect of access to a community garden on the sustainability of lifestyles. Results A final number of 77 participants per group were enrolled at baseline, which is 4% less the original recruitment goal. Baseline data for the natural experiment group and the control group are currently being analysed and will be presented. Discussion This study will provide valuable information about the potential of community gardens to favor sustainable lifestyles, based on a robust quasi-experimental design allowing causality evaluation. Findings could help developing policies toward more sustainable urban planning favoring both human and environmental health. Key messages For the first time, the JArDinS study will allow testing, the impact of community gardens on the sustainability of lifestyles. Results will help orient urban planning decisions towards healthier options.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of megacities on local, regional and global tropospheric ozone and the deposition of nitrogen species

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 12215-12231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. S. Stock ◽  
M. R. Russo ◽  
T. M. Butler ◽  
A. T. Archibald ◽  
M. G. Lawrence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Chemical Environment ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Emissions

Abstract. We examine the effects of ozone precursor emissions from megacities on present-day air quality using the global chemistry–climate model UM-UKCA (UK Met Office Unified Model coupled to the UK Chemistry and Aerosols model). The sensitivity of megacity and regional ozone to local emissions, both from within the megacity and from surrounding regions, is important for determining air quality across many scales, which in turn is key for reducing human exposure to high levels of pollutants. We use two methods, perturbation and tagging, to quantify the impact of megacity emissions on global ozone. We also completely redistribute the anthropogenic emissions from megacities, to compare changes in local air quality going from centralised, densely populated megacities to decentralised, lower density urban areas. Focus is placed not only on how changes to megacity emissions affect regional and global NOx and O3, but also on changes to NOy deposition and to local chemical environments which are perturbed by the emission changes. The perturbation and tagging methods show broadly similar megacity impacts on total ozone, with the perturbation method underestimating the contribution partially because it perturbs the background chemical environment. The total redistribution of megacity emissions locally shifts the chemical environment towards more NOx-limited conditions in the megacities, which is more conducive to ozone production, and monthly mean surface ozone is found to increase up to 30% in megacities, depending on latitude and season. However, the displacement of emissions has little effect on the global annual ozone burden (0.12% change). Globally, megacity emissions are shown to contribute ~3% of total NOy deposition. The changes in O3, NOx and NOy deposition described here are useful for quantifying megacity impacts and for understanding the sensitivity of megacity regions to local emissions. The small global effects of the 100% redistribution carried out in this study suggest that the distribution of emissions on the local scale is unlikely to have large implications for chemistry–climate processes on the global scale.

Use of permeable, reservoir pavement constructions for stormwater treatment and storage for re-use

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Stormwater Treatment ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Permeable surfaces for roads and footpaths have been used as a means of disposal of stormwater in developed urban areas. Such surfaces provide an alternative to impermeable concrete or tarmacadam surfaces which would otherwise produce rapid stormwater runoff, leading to possible flooding and degeneration of receiving water quality through the uncontrolled discharge of polluted urban waters. A further advantage may be obtained from such constructions by undersealing them so as to retain stormwater for re-use for non-potable uses. The potential for general introduction of this type of storage and re-use system in residential areas is discussed and possible alternative designs for the drainage infrastructure proposed. To have widespread impact such a strategy must deliver cost savings as well as reduce the impact on the water environment of anticipated water usage demands. The source of such cost savings and the general environmental benefits of such systems will be presented. The materials used in such a sealed construction and the beneficial changes to the stored water quality are outlined. Recent work has also shown that where the pavement is used for car parking any oils dropped on the surface and washed into the structure by the stormwater may also be degraded. Details will be given of a site in the UK where the above construction is to be used to provide stormwater storage for re-use in flushing toilets at a Youth Hostel.

scholarly journals The Impact of Home Gardening amidst Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-23
Author(s):  
Froilan D. Mobo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Ozone Layer ◽  
Home Gardening ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Town

Today’s climate is unpredictable there are so many natural calamities which took place in our country which is the Philippines, two weeks ago because of the sudden changes of the weather in the Province of Zambales, the Philippines a strong tornado hits the town of Castillejos, Zambales which some of the electrical wirings were severely damaged because of the sudden change of the climate. The researcher is thinking of implementing a home gardening to each Municipality in our Province. By doing this it can help lessen the pollution in the air and it will help heal our Ozone Layer faster. The empirical evidence for the benefits of gardening and the advocate of the development and testing of socio-ecological models of community resilience through the impact of community gardens, especially in urban areas is highly effective(Okvat & Zautra, 2011). As lessening the air pollution will have a greater impact on our Ozone Layer no to deplete but it will heal the would faster. The present study revealed that local experiences in the face of climate change adaptation have merits that need special consideration(Anik & Khan, 2012). Also, the Researcher will implement this project in the Municipality of Subic, Zambales.

scholarly journals Using rewards-based incentives to increase purchase of fruit and vegetables in lower-income households: design and start-up of a randomized trial

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 936-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne J Phipps ◽  
Samantha L Wallace ◽  
Shana D Stites ◽  
Nadine Uplinger ◽  
S Brook Singletary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Fresh Fruit ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Minority Community ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
Predominantly Minority ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveTo report the design and baseline results of a rewards-based incentive to promote purchase of fruit and vegetables by lower-income households.DesignA four-phase randomized trial with wait-listed controls. In a pilot study, despite inadequate study coupon use, purchases of fresh fruit (but not vegetables) increased, but with little maintenance. In the present study, credits on the study store gift card replace paper coupons and a tapering phase is added. The primary outcome is the number of servings of fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables purchased per week.SettingA large full-service supermarket located in a predominantly minority community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.SubjectsFifty-eight households, with at least one child living in the home.ResultsDuring the baseline period, households purchased an average of 3·7 servings of fresh vegetables and an average of less than 1 serving of frozen vegetables per week. Households purchased an average of 1·9 servings of fresh fruit per week, with little to no frozen fruit purchases. Overall, the range of fresh and frozen produce purchased during this pre-intervention period was limited.ConclusionsAt baseline, produce purchases were small and of limited variety. The study will contribute to understanding the impact of financial incentives on increasing the purchases of healthier foods by lower-income populations.

Growing Gardens Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Strategic Expansion of Anchorage, Alaska’s Community Garden System

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Shannon Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
Parks And Recreation ◽  
Local Food System ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Strategic Model ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Anchorage’s community gardening program is administered by the Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation program and part of their mission is to provide “a food system where locally produced, affordable, and nutritious food is available to all”. The demand for access to community gardens far outweighs the supply raising the question, how can the city of Anchorage strategically and sustainably expand their community garden system? To explore this question, the Municipality of Anchorage partnered with the University of Alaska Anchorage to better understand how expanding community gardens can bridge a gap in the local food system and increase access to fresh foods by the city’s most vulnerable and diverse individuals. To do this, we developed a multi-faceted needs assessment that included a community survey, stakeholder workshop, and key informant interviews. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of expanding Anchorage’s community gardens and offers expansion strategies that balance the needs of the community’s diverse populations with the city’s community gardening mission. The findings of this study show that to sustainably meet the needs of diverse audiences, community garden expansion efforts should focus on 1) making new gardens accessible by identifying safe, convenient, and functional locations; 2) building gardener capacity through education and outreach programs; and 3) strengthening partnerships with other community organizations to share resources and capabilities. The methods used and the associated findings revealed through this study can be adapted and applied in other cities looking to develop a sustainable and strategic model for community gardening.

scholarly journals Stay Home and Stay Active? The impact of stay-at-home restrictions on physical activity routines in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Eshelby ◽  
Muhammed Sogut ◽  
Kate Jolly ◽  
Ivo Vlaev ◽  
Mark T. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Step Count ◽  
Daily Step ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Daily Step Count ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTGovernment restrictions applied during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK led to the disruption of many people’s physical activity routines, with sports and leisure facilities closed and outdoor exercise only permitted once per day. In this study we investigated which population groups were impacted most in terms of reduced physical activity levels during these periods, and which groups benefitted in terms of increasing their usual level of physical activity. We surveyed UK residents, sampled through users of a rewards-for-exercise app (Sweatcoin; n=749) and an online panel (Prolific; n=907). Of the app users, n=487 further provided daily step-count data collected by the app, prior to, and during the periods of restrictions between March and June 2020. Regression models were applied to investigate factors associated with subjective change (perceived change in physical activity) and objective change (log-percentage change in daily step-count) in physical activity during the periods of restrictions. ANOVAs were used to further investigate the significant factors identified. Key factors associated with a substantial subjective reduction in physical activity included those classed as obese, gym users and people living in urban areas. All participants had a reduced step count during restrictions, with Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups, students and urban dwellers showing the largest reductions. Therefore, targeted interventions are required to ensure that the physical and mental health impacts of sedentary behaviour are not exacerbated over the long-term by significant reductions in physical activity identified in these groups, particularly those who are also more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

scholarly journals The impact of air pollution on terrestrial managed and natural vegetation

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2183) ◽  
pp. 20190317 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Stevens ◽  
J. N. B. Bell ◽  
P. Brimblecombe ◽  
C. M. Clark ◽  
N. B. Dise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Although awareness that air pollution can damage vegetation dates back at least to the 1600s, the processes and mechanisms of damage were not rigorously studied until the late twentieth century. In the UK following the Industrial Revolution, urban air quality became very poor, with highly phytotoxic SO 2 and NO 2 concentrations, and remained that way until the mid-twentieth century. Since then both air quality, and our understanding of pollutants and their impacts, have greatly improved. Air pollutants remain a threat to natural and managed ecosystems. Air pollution imparts impacts through four major threats to vegetation are discussed through in a series of case studies. Gas-phase effects by the primary emissions of SO 2 and NO 2 are discussed in the context of impacts on lichens in urban areas. The effects of wet and dry deposited acidity from sulfur and nitrogen compounds are considered with a particular focus on forest decline. Ecosystem eutrophication by nitrogen deposition focuses on heathland decline in the Netherlands, and ground-level ozone at phytotoxic concentrations is discussed by considering impacts on semi-natural vegetation. We find that, although air is getting cleaner, there is much room for additional improvement, especially for the effects of eutrophication on managed and natural ecosystems. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.

scholarly journals The Impact of Community Gardens on Numbers of Property Crimes in Urban Houston

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Gorham ◽  
T.M. Waliczek ◽  
A. Snelgrove ◽  
J.M. Zajicek
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Data ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Community Garden ◽  
Property Crimes ◽  
Houston Police Department ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Research has suggested that city environments with more green space may have lower crime levels. For this pilot study, 11 established community gardens in Houston, TX, were selected and mapped using ArcGIS 9.1 software. The numbers of property crimes reported in the 2005 crime data from the Houston Police Department surrounding the community garden areas at a distance of 1/8 mile were then tallied and mapped for the areas. The numbers of crimes were evaluated alongside demographic data from the 2000 U.S. Census. Statistical comparisons were made between community garden areas and randomly selected city areas that were within a 1-mile area surrounding each garden. Initial results of paired t tests indicated no statistically significant differences between the mean number of crime occurrences in community garden areas and the mean number of crimes in randomly selected areas. Results from a linear regression analysis also indicated that the presence of a community garden was not a predictor of a lower crime rate for a neighborhood. Adjustments were then made by removing randomly selected areas that were demographically least like their respective community gardens. Results from further analysis indicated that there were no crime number differences between the community garden areas and the randomly selected areas. However, interviews conducted with community garden representatives showed that community gardens appeared to have a positive influence on neighborhoods, with residents reporting neighborhood revitalization, perceived immunity from crime, and neighbors emulating gardening practices they saw at the community gardens.

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