In this article, Chiara Certoma examines the gardening movements that have begun to reclaim public space and the right to produce local food. Critical urban gardening (also called political or radical gardening) includes various informal activism practices that encourage people to garden in any available city space to demonstrate an alternative to the current conventional use of space and the system of food production, distribution, and consumption. The gardens provide inhabitants with colorful and life-affirming experiences and at the same time highlight pressing contemporary political issues. By bringing people together in collective gardening initiatives aimed at utilizing public space for the enjoyment of nature and the production of food, urban gardeners actively take part in local political decision-making processes.
DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/6936