The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780897898584)

This study is a portrayal of the political, economic, and cultural history and present of community gardens in a New York City neighborhood, the Lower East Side of Manhattan. An ethnographic study of a particular instance of urban history, it provides a basis for an understanding of urban community gardens in the United States. Beginning with a historical overview of urban community gardening in the United States and other countries, the author concentrates on the last two decades of the 20th century in this portrayal of a social movement that seeks to impact urban environments both in social and economic terms and in terms of ecological dynamics. The last decade in particular has been critical with regard to the development of a broad network of community-based coalitions acting on behalf of urban community gardens.

The author considers internal dynamics and organization of individual gardens within the specific social, political, and economic context of the Lower East Side and analyzes the political struggle on behalf of community gardens in that neighborhood and the entire city. The author also addresses the diverse ways in which community gardens on the Lower East Side have become critical components in the daily life of urban gardeners, predominantly poor and low-income people.

Author: Malve Von Hassell
ISBN-10: 0897898583
ISBN-13: 9780897898584
Publisher: Praeger
Language: English
Published: 01/30/2002
Pages: 208
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.31lbs
Size: 9.64h x 6.66w x 0.78d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2002 pg. 1987
Choice 06/01/2005 pg. 1752