Benefits and Challenges: Canberra Community Gardening Report

This report examines the concept and scope of community gardening, focusing on its implementation and potential in the Canberra region. It analyzes the benefits of community gardens, including their positive impact on urban spaces, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. The research investigates the role of urban planners in developing community gardening initiatives and addresses the challenges associated with their establishment and maintenance. The report provides a comprehensive literature review, detailing the benefits of community gardens, planning considerations, and the role of urban green spaces. The methodology includes qualitative analysis and field research to gather data and evaluate the effectiveness of community gardening in Canberra. The findings discuss the impact of community gardening, including its role in sustainable land use, promoting environmental sustainability, and creating trade opportunities. Finally, the report offers recommendations for improving community gardening practices in Canberra, considering its importance for both urban development and community welfare.

0Running head: BUILT ENVIRONMENT
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Executive Summary
The Community Gardening can be considered to be an overall initiative which is taken by
various communities which are present in the society. In consideration to this, it can be rightfully
mentioned that, the development of the community gardens can be considered to be rather
beneficial for the overall society and assists in ensuring that the environment can be conserved,
the urban planning can be undertaken and the overall wellbeing of the members can be
maintained. The report follows a systematic format whereby the Introduction lays down the
scope of the research which is then followed by the Literature review on the same topic. The
research methodology defines the research methods applied for the paper and this is followed by
the Discussion of the findings through the qualitative analysis and the field research. The gardens
form an essential part of the society.

2BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................4
Overview......................................................................................................................................4
Background..................................................................................................................................4
Problem statement.......................................................................................................................4
Research aim................................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives.....................................................................................................................5
Research Questions......................................................................................................................5
Structure of the paper...................................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................7
Overview......................................................................................................................................7
Community Gardening................................................................................................................7
Planning in Community Garden..................................................................................................7
Benefits of Community Gardens.................................................................................................8
Urban Green space.......................................................................................................................9
Benefits of Urban Green Space.................................................................................................10
Summary....................................................................................................................................11
Chapter 3: Research Methods........................................................................................................12
Overview....................................................................................................................................12
Research Philosophy..................................................................................................................12

3BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Research approach.....................................................................................................................12
Research design.........................................................................................................................13
Research Strategy......................................................................................................................13
Data collection...........................................................................................................................13
Data analysis..............................................................................................................................14
Ethical considerations and Accessibility Issues........................................................................14
Summary....................................................................................................................................14
Chapter 5: Findings, Discussion and Analysis..............................................................................15
Community Garden in Canberra................................................................................................15
Reasons for urban planning to adopt Community Gardening...................................................17
Community gardening guidelines..............................................................................................18
Role of community gardening in Sustainable Land use............................................................19
Role of community gardening to promote environmental sustainability..................................20
Trade opportunity in case of Community Gardening................................................................21
Governments practicing community gardening.........................................................................21
Chapter 5: Conclusion...................................................................................................................22
References......................................................................................................................................23

4BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
The chapter forms the first chapter of the research study and will outline the manner in
which the overall study will take place. In addition to this, the chapter also outlines the research
questions and the overall research objectives which have been essentially assigned for the
purpose of the study.
Background
Community gardens have become a common phenomenon in various parts around the
globe. In the North American region, there has been a growth in the number of community
gardens present around the globe and this has initiated a global movement whereby the collective
contribution of the different communities is utilized to come up with a common purpose. These
individuals are required to take care of the garden themselves and thereby engage in a collective
contribution to the society (Abc.net.au , 2019). The community gardening can be taken to be a
technique to engage in `built environment` so as to promote overall health as well as the
wellness. Therefore, not only does the community gardening assist in improving the overall
health of the individuals but also contributes to the environment conservation.
The research will primarily focus on the Community Gardening in the Canberra region.
The study shall analyze the manner in which Community gardening will be carried out in the
region and how can the role of a planner contribute towards ensuring that the community garden
will contribute to the overall welfare of the work environment. As the community gardens
involve considerable planning, the planner has a major role to play in the give field and with
respect to this; the best technology has to be made use of.
Problem statement
Although the community gardening has gained up relevant importance in the various
countries around the globe, it is integral to understand that, in the Canberra Region, the concept
is comparatively new. Hence, with respect to this, it becomes very integral to ensure that,
through this study the scope of community gardening in the Canberra region can be identified

5BUILT ENVIRONMENT
and the role of the planner in the field in of the community gardening shall also be identified and
discussed critically.
Research aim
The aim of the research is to outline the benefits and challenges of community
gardening in the Canberra Region and examine the role of a planner in the given scenario.
Research Objectives
The objectives which have been set out for the research can be identified to be as follows:
 To analyze the concept of community gardening
 To examine the scope of community gardening in the Canberra Region
 To analyze the overall manner in which the Community gardening can be effectively
developed
 To understand the role of a planner in the Canberra Region to develop the community
gardening
 To determine the impact of community gardening on the overall welfare of the society
 To find the manner in which Community gardening is good for the urban space and the
manner in which it benefits the society as a whole
 To provide recommendations with respect to which Community gardening can be
improved in Canberra.
Research Questions
The research questions can be understood to be as follows:
 What is the concept of community gardening?
 What is the scope of community gardening in the Canberra Region?
 What is the manner in which the Community gardening can be effectively developed?
 What is the role of a planner in the Canberra Region to develop the community
gardening?
 What is the impact of community gardening on the overall welfare of the society?
 What is the manner in which Community gardening is good for the urban space and the
manner in which it benefits the society as a whole?

6BUILT ENVIRONMENT
 What recommendations can be provided with respect to which Community gardening can
be improved in Canberra?
Structure of the paper
The paper will be following the given structure:
 Introduction: The introduction chapter will formulate the first chapter of the research and
this will assist in throwing light on the overall background of the subject and identifying
the manner in which the research objectives and questions have been framed accordingly
for the study
 Literature Review: The Literature Review forms the second chapter of the study whereby
the various theories and other governmental reviews related to the field of the
Community gardening can be analyzed adequately and the scope of Community
gardening in Canberra can be identified.
 Research Methodology: The research methodology forms the third chapter of the
research and will outline the different research techniques which shall be applied for the
research.
 Findings and analysis: This chapter will present the main results of the study and analyze
the same in relation to the objectives of the study
 Conclusion: The chapter will summarize the findings of the study and thereby conclude
the study.

7BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Overview
Community Gardening
According to Keller (2018), community Gardens can be described as the small scale low
investment neighborhood venture involved in the field of community gardening which assists in
ensuring that ventures like growing vegetables, flowers and the fruits can be largely undertaken.
It makes use of vacant spaces either in the public domain or in any other enterprise so that the
different members involved in the community can come together and engage in permaculture
and the biodynamic gardening and may be allowed to participate with individual plots to be able
to manage as they seem fit (Passidomo, 2016). They will also be required to manage the different
nurseries and ensure that they are being able to divide the work amongst themselves. The
community gardens can be essentially taken to be a product of urban planning whereby the
benefits are enjoyed by the different communities who are present in the location. According to
Levy (2016), the community gardens can be taken to be a form of urban renewal which is one of
the cheapest resources, seeds, soil and the inner city people. The community gardens are
essentially used to further the different planning aims and are targeted at the building of the
community workers. Additionally, the community gardens are also used as a part of the renewal
strategy of the organization and they are essentially targeted towards building the built
environment, increasing the capacities among the different residents and additionally,
strengthening the community at large (Barron, 2017). The individuals in a community usually
come together and scout the possible locations for a garden, with the help of which they will be
able to ensure that they can do something together and build a sound environment for
themselves.
Planning in Community Garden
The planning in the field of community gardening generally involves the selection of the
appropriate land to build the location and secondly certifying that they will be essentially able to
apply to the different councils for the purpose of the grants and fencing as well (Litt et al., 2018).
The building of the materials, the water tanks and other such facilities can be considered to be
usually the common procedure involved in the planning assessment procedure. In an alternative

8BUILT ENVIRONMENT
solution, the different community organizations workers and other local bodies tend to get
involved in seeing to it that, they can consult with the community and gauge their interest so as
to lead the process of establishing the right kind of community garden for their community
(Nettle, 2016). The community groups have a supportive role to play in this by using various
contracts, skills and finding the location aspects along with the leases, the grants and the
development of a management services for the running of the enterprise (Barron, 2017). The
various councils will also be employing a coordinator for their community with the help of
which they will be able to give constant support. The main organizations that are essentially
involved in this planning and field can be taken to be the various community groups, the non-
government organizations and other supportive local government which usually tend to provide
the grant for the purpose of building the garden (Martin et al., 2017). Additionally, it is crucial to
note that the communal systems are gardened by usually a single group and provide a greater
sense of ownership and commitment to this group. Each system tends to vary in terms of rent and
related issues and additionally, the gardens have a wide range of individuals making use of them.
Benefits of Community Gardens
The community gardens can be believed to have a large range of benefits for the different
users of these gardens and for the focus of the wider community. As these gardens have a large
group of individuals involved, these people tend to belong to various linguistic and social as well
as cultural backgrounds(Aronson et al., 2017). However, these people belonging to the different
backgrounds usually tend to bond over aspects like the community gardening. This also assists
the different members in seeing to it that, they are being able to get involved in the procedure of
agriculture.
Additionally, the gardens develop a sense of community and help the different members
in sharing sentiment with one another. The community gardens are additionally beneficial to
various migrants as well and for the public housing residents, the different community gardens
can be taken to be a medium to live the life in an easier manner (Barron, 2017). The gardens act
as a link between the different institutions like the businesses, government, schools and support
services. In addition to the positive impacts, the community gardens can also be understood to
have various psychological effects on the different users and has reportedly improved the health
of the different individuals (Nettle, 2016).

9BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Moreover, the gardening has also improved the overall wellbeing of the different
individuals and the sense of achievement achieved by the different individuals can be considered
to be integrating and can be used to understand aspects like employment, sport, recreation and
benefits from gardening (Heise et al., 2017). Moreover, community gardening is also known to
save the money of the different individuals by allowing them the opportunity to see to it that the
different beings are being able to save on their grocery costs, additional recreational activities
and gain some knowledge about gardening as well.
The community gardening is also known to reduce the crime rates in the neighborhood.
This is because, the vandalism and other opportunistic crime is reduced and as the different
people in the environment come together and come together towards a common goal. The
gardens assist in increasing surveillance by the presence of the different gardens in the area and
notch up the sense of community (Heilmayr & Friedman, 2018). Moreover, the presence of
community gardens also tends to increase the respect towards a public place. Additionally, the
amenity of the area brings about pride amongst the different members of the community as well
and therefore, it helps in avoiding the negative stereotypes and additionally brings in the praise
of role models (Martin et al., 2017).
Other direct benefits of the community gardens can be referred to as the benefit to the
environment. In addition to the improvement in the field of the community or the improvement
of the various crimes which take place in the firm, the environmental benefit is the biggest
benefit which a firm can experience from the concept of community gardening (Passidomo,
2016).
Urban Green space
The Urban Green space can be largely described as the open space which is generally set
aside for open green spaces and in addition to this, used for a range for playing fields to
maintenance of the overall environment (Garrett & Leeds, 2015). The Urban Green space is
generally taken to be public in nature whereby they can be essentially made use of in order to
build higher educational campuses, the community gardens and other such available facilities
which shall be highly beneficial for the public. The different areas which are present around the
state and the national parks are generally not considered to be the urban open space. They are not
used in urban planning and are instead kept separate. According to Haaland and van den Bosch

10BUILT ENVIRONMENT
(2015), the Green spaces which are the parks and the various sports fields along with the
wetlands, natural meadows and the other ecosystems can also be used effectively for the Urban
Green space. The main purpose of this is to facilitate the physical activity along with the
relaxation which shall protect the public from pollution and provide them with a refuge from the
noise (Aronson et al., 2017). The purpose of the Urban Green space is to help the communities
in interacting with one another and along with this, also assists in cooling the cities, proving save
routes and provides access for recreational activities (Morstein, 2018). The Green spaces are also
crucial to developing the mental health and it is believed that the access to the various green
spaces can contribute towards reducing health inequalities, improving the overall wellbeing of
the individuals and assist in overcoming mental illness. According to Garrett and Leeds (2015),
it is believed that viable physical activity will assist in providing a remedy for depression and
additionally reducing the physiological stress indicators as well.
Benefits of Urban Green Space
The Urban Green spaces can be taken to be highly beneficial in nature. The benefits
which they provide to the community can be noted to be as follows:
 They act as recreational facilities. The Urban spaces are often considered to be good
recreational facilities with the assistance of which the community will be able to develop
harmony amongst one another (Heise et al., 2017). Moreover, these recreational activities
are known to reduce stress levels as well.
 Moreover, the green spaces are also known to provide the conservation of nature in the
urban environment. This means that, it assists in raising environmental awareness with
the help of which the community will be benefiting to a great extent (Alaimo et al.,
2016).
 Lastly, the Aesthetic value of the urban space also contributes towards ensuring that the
different individuals enjoying viewing the nature and additionally the neighborhood
communities which are present can essentially contribute towards understanding that
these communities contribute to increased property prices and other benefits as well
(Milbourne, 2018).

11BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Summary
Therefore, the review of Literature contributed onwards understanding the manner in
which the Community Gardening and urban green space planning will essentially contribute
towards understanding the manner in which the environment and society can benefit. Theories
related to Urban planning, gardening and the Green space were discussed critically.