Co-constructing the sustainable city: how indicators help us “grow” more than just food in community gardens

Abstract

Since Agenda 21, local governments have sought ways of engaging urban citizens in the creation of more sustainable cities. Community garden (CG) activities are frequently described as contributing positively to the development of socially and environmentally sustainable local communities, yet a suitable set of indicators for valuing these benefits are yet to be established. Indicators were formed through a participatory process allowing individuals to use and learn from them. This can usefully contribute to policy decisions and be meaningful to urban planners and local community gardeners. A set of social and ecological indicators that aligned with local government policy areas and accountability frameworks were developed. Indicators were derived with local government officers, CG members, and industry experts. The practical necessity of devising indicators that can realistically be monitored by CG participants and be of political and ideological use to local governments and wider community stakeholders, is demonstrated.

Keywords:

• community gardens
• local government
• social and ecological indicators
• citizen science
• participatory methodology