[Sustainable Systems] East Village Community Gardens

East Village COMMUNITY GARDENS Field Trip

Name: Parque de Tranquilidad

Design – Systems – Engagement:

The garden was started in 1979 when neighbors cleared out the lots and started the garden by planting vegetables and flowers. Parque de Tranqilidad was purchased together with other sixty three gardens city wide by the Trust for Public Land. Garden Members take care of this little park all year long. In 2004, GrowNYC worked with gardeners to widen and level pathways to accommodate wheelchairs. The garden got a new tool shed, wood fencing, birdhouse, and flagstone entry. Even though the overall plan and layout are arranged, they do not control where the flowers and plants grow, the garden grows organically. The system of the garden has a lot of faunas such as monarch butterflies, bees, birds, squirrels, and many more. The floor uses natural materials such as stone that absorb rainwater. The engagement of the design is very interactive and one with nature. Using rocks, stones, wood as materials for other factors of the garden. This community garden has a nice location surrounding itself with people’s homes and little restaurants around it.

 

Name: El Jardin del Paraiso

Design – Systems – Engagement:

El Jardin del Paraiso, Inc. is a public park, operated by community members, and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. El Jardin del Paraiso is available for community events and activities. This garden seems to have less of a structure than the first one and the trees grow more freely. The space has a flat land that has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the pros is that it is able to have its own vegetable planting area, protected with a wooden border structure. The system of this garden is similar to the Parque de Tranquilidad, it has birds and little bugs.

The main thing that stood out was the fact that this garden had a lot of rubbish bins, and compost bins. This is the only garden that I visited that has them, which is nice to see some community gardens trying to make the community greener. I believe the engagement of this garden has a strong community as the people taking care of this garden are able to collectively compost together.

 

Name:  El Sol Brillante

 

Design – Systems – Engagement:

El Sol Brillante Community Garden rose from the ashes of a demolished lot of four burnt-out buildings in the East Village of Manhattan in 1977. Residents organized to create a garden that would revitalize the neighborhood, unite local leadership, and improve the quality of their environment. The garden itself seems to very messy, however, there was structure to the overall garden design. The system of this garden seems to have really high biodiversity with its variety of plants and flowers. This resulted in a lot of different bugs and butterflies. The garden was opened, and people were inside sitting on benches and chatting, the design of the garden allowed people to relax and enjoy the garden. Its surroundings also support the garden, East 12th Street is a remarkable green corridor with four community gardens, six public schools and a park.

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