About me
(Not) in My Backyard:?Access to Community Gardens, Neighborhood Characteristic, and Food Deserts
Location: West Ballroom
Mentor: Dr. Haoluan Wang
Abstract: Community gardens have gained popularity worldwide not only as an alternative source
of fresh food but also as a platform to promote urban sustainable living. In this study, we compile
a unique dataset that consists of 1,874 documented community gardens in 24 cities or metropolitan
areas in the U.S. to examine the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and access to
community gardens. We further investigate the spatial distribution of community gardens in the
context of food deserts that are used to describe low-income neighborhoods with a lack of fresh
food access. Our results show that several neighborhood characteristics, such as the share of Black
populations, poverty rate, and house unit vacancy rate, can systematically explain whether a
neighborhood has community gardens. Notably, we find that community gardens may have limited
capacity to address the issue of food deserts, given that the vast majority of current community
gardens are in neighborhoods not identified as food deserts. Our findings provide new insights into
the need for strategic urban planning and community-led initiatives to facilitate the construction of
community gardens for a sustainable urban food environment.
