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MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY GARDENS

Current Trends and Recommendations

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee


School of Architecture & Urban Planning
MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY GARDENS
Current Trends and Recommendations

Matthew B. Mikolajewski
May 2002
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

This report was made possible by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and
through the support of the Wisconsin Food System Partnership and the Milwaukee
Urban Food Systems Initiative.
As an urban planning graduate student, the preparation of this report was
extremely beneficial. I must acknowledge those individuals who significantly contributed
to this report, and in turn, my education. Professor Welford Sanders, of the University of
Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Department of Urban Planning, provided valuable input and
assistance throughout all stages of this project and report.
Through meetings and informal discussions, the following individuals provided a
wealth of information about community gardening in Milwaukee and elsewhere: Mike
Salinas, Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc.; Dennis Lukaszewski, University of Wisconsin –
Extension; Will Allen, Growing Power; Mark Weaver, U.S. Forest Service America’s
Outdoors Program; Martin Bailkey, University of Wisconsin – Madison Department of
Landscape Architecture; Sharon Adams, Walnut Way Conservation Corps.; Tim Locke,
Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee; Prof. Jerry Kaufman, University of Wisconsin –
Madison Department of Urban and Regional Planning; and the Milwaukee Community
Gardening Coalition meeting attendees.

Matthew B. Mikolajewski, May 2002


TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ….…………………….…………………………..… 1

THE GARDENS …..…………………………………………….…..… 3


Rental ……..………………………………………….……… 4
School ……..………………………………………………..… 5
Youth ………………………………………………………..… 5
Demonstration ………………………………………...……… 6
Accessible ...………………………………………………..… 6
Neighborhood …….……………………………………..…… 7

COMMUNITY GARDENING ORGANIZATIONS …….………...….. 8


Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition ……..….…….. 9
Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc. …………...………..….….… 9
University of Wisconsin – Extension ……………….…..…… 9
U.S. Forest Service ……………………………...……..……. 9
Growing Power ………………………………….….……...…. 10
Milwaukee Community Service Corp. …………...….….…. 10
Hunger Task Force ……………………………………..……. 10
City of Milwaukee ………………………………………..….. 11
Milwaukee County ………………………………………..….. 11
Community Based Organizations …………………………... 11

MAJOR ISSUES …………………………………….…..…………….. 12


Land Tenure ………………………...…………………..…..... 13
Zoning …………………………………..………………..……. 15
Planning ………………………………….……………………. 16
Location and Design …………………….…………………… 17
Maintenance ………………………………..………………….18
Organization ………………...………………………………… 19
Funding ……………………………………….……………….. 19
Government Cooperation ……………………………..……… 19
Public Education ………………..……………………………. 20
CASE STUDIES ……………………………………………….…….... 21
Seattle, Washington ……………………………….………….. 22
Portland, Oregon ………………………………………………23
San Francisco, California …………………………………….. 23
Boston, Massachusetts ……………………………………..…24
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ……………….……………….…. 25
Madison, Wisconsin ………………………..……………….… 26

RECOMMENDATIONS …………..………………………………….... 27
Community Gardening Organizations …………………….… 28
City of Milwaukee ……………………………………………... 30
Milwaukee County …………………………………………….. 31
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee …………………….…. 31

CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………….… 32

REFERENCES …………………………………………………….…... 33

APPENDIX A: COMMUNITY GARDEN CONTACTS ……….…..… 29

APPENDIX B: COMMUNITY GARDEN MAPS ……………………..38


LIST OF FIGURES

Cover: 5th Street and Mineral Street


Figure 1: 3rd Street & Bruce Street - rental garden ……………….. 4
Figure 2: 23r d Street & Ramsey Street - Victory School garden …. 5
Figure 3: Demonstration garden …………………………………..… 6
Figure 4: Garden Park - neighborhood garden …………….……… 7
Source: www.ouropenspaces.org
Figure 5: Garden Park Farmers Market …………………………..… 7
Figure 6: Garden Park ………………………………………………… 7
Figure 7: 5th Street & Mineral Street - rental garden ……………..… 14
Figure 8: Seattle P-Patch Garden………………………………….… 22
Source: www.cityofseattle.net
Figure 9: Village of Arts and Humanities - Philadelphia …………… 25
Source: www.villagearts.org
Figure 10: Troy Gardens Plan - Madison …………………………… 26
Source: http://designcoalition.org
th
Figure 11: 5 Street & Roger Street – rental garden …………….… 31

Unless otherwise noted, photographs are from the author’s collection.


INTRODUCTION

Milwaukee County is home to dozens of community gardens, serving a diverse


set of individuals and needs. For some, community gardening is a hobby. Community
gardening enables others on a limited food budget the ability to supplement their diet
with fresh produce. Community gardens provide open, green space within dense urban
neighborhoods, and teach area youth about the environment, while giving the elderly a
chance to stay active.
Community gardens within Milwaukee can be broadly described as rental,
school, youth, demonstration, accessible, or neighborhood. Numerous organizations
commit time, talent, and financial resources towards the maintenance and promotion of
community gardens throughout Milwaukee County. These organizations include the
Milwaukee Community Garden Coalition, Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc., the University
of Wisconsin – Extension (Milwaukee County), and Growing Power.
Although Milwaukee has a strong base of community gardens, there are some
improvements that can and should be made. Community gardens are currently
protected by local zoning ordinances and plans on a very limited basis. As such, the
land tenure of garden sites, frequently on publicly owned parcels, is often precarious. In
a similar manner, local government officials have not fully recognized the value of
community gardens as a way to improve and maintain residential neighborhoods.
Although most gardens are well managed, and provide an aesthetic improvement to
their surrounding neighborhoods, the ability of community garden organizations to
provide the funding and human capital required to fully maintain and expand gardens is
a source of concern.
All of these issues can be resolved, and have been resolved elsewhere in the
country. With renewed vigilance on the part of community gardeners, and increased
support from government officials, community gardening can remain an important and
valuable land use within Milwaukee.
This report describes the current status of community gardening in Milwaukee
County. First, a description of the types of community gardens is presented. This is
followed by a discussion about organizations that are currently involved with gardening
throughout Milwaukee. Next, some of the major issues facing gardens are examined.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 1


This is followed by a series of case studies to show how many of the issues facing
Milwaukee’s community gardens are being addressed elsewhere. Finally, a series of
recommendations for how Milwaukee’s community gardens can be improved is
presented.
This report is written primarily for three groups of individuals. First, there are the
gardeners, who create, maintain, and preserve community gardens within Milwaukee.
This report summarizes what these individuals already know, while providing
suggestions on how community gardening can be improved. The second target
audience includes civic leaders and municipal employees who have influence over the
presence of community gardens throughout the Milwaukee metro region. This report
encourages these individuals to view community gardening as a legitimate land use,
worthy of further protection and promotion. County residents are the third group. This
report provides a summary for those individuals who would like to become more involved
with gardening in the Milwaukee area.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 2


THE GARDENS

Community gardens can be found at several dozen locations throughout


Milwaukee County (Appendix B). These locations can be broadly described as rental,
school, youth, demonstration, accessible, or neighborhood gardens. Some locations are
a combination of these garden types.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 3


Rental Gardens

Rental gardens are locations where people can rent garden plots for their
personal use. University of Wisconsin – Extension (Milwaukee County) maintains over
1500 rental garden plots at thirteen locations throughout the county. Extension
employees prepare the locations for planting, provide water, and give technical advice to
gardeners. A 400 square foot garden plot rents for $15.00 a season, and a 900 square
foot plot rents for $25.00. Typically, these garden plots have 85% occupancy with an
annual turnover rate of about 20%. Over half of Extension garden locations are over ten
years old.
Extension rental gardens vary in size, form, and ownership status. With over 800
garden plots, the Milwaukee County Grounds (City of Wauwatosa) community garden is
the largest maintained by Extension. At the other end of the extreme, Extension’s 3rd
Street & Bruce Street location contains only ten plots, and is nestled within a single lot
owned by the City of Milwaukee. Most Extension rental garden sites have 20-30 plots
on parcels owned by the City of Milwaukee. Although vegetables are most commonly
grown at rental garden locations, one will also find annual and perennial flowers.
Extension rental garden locations attract people from varying socioeconomic
backgrounds. Generally, renters at the County Grounds are individuals who travel from
outside the immediate area to garden. Those gardeners within the smaller,
neighborhood gardens are mostly local residents.

Figure 1: 3rd Street & Bruce Street

Milwaukee Community Gardens 4


School Gardens

School gardens help to enrich the curriculum at seven local public and private
schools. School administrators and teachers generally maintain these locations. As
they are intended to help teachers assist with their environmental and natural science
classes, these gardens contain all sorts of vegetables and flowers, and are used for a
variety of different activities. School gardens, such as the one located at Victory School
(23rd Street & Ramsey Street), can greatly improve the appearance of the campus and
surrounding neighborhood. This garden includes a pathway and benches to be enjoyed
by all residents in the area.

Figure 2: 23rd Street & Ramsey Street

Youth Gardens

Youth gardens, found at four locations throughout Milwaukee, provide area


children with educational and community building activities. Unlike school gardens,
youth gardens are not operated by the staff of a specific school. For example, Lynden
Hill (23rd Street & McKinley Boulevard) is a three acre youth environmental education
garden developed in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service’s America’s Outdoors
program and the Milwaukee Public School District.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 5


Demonstration Gardens

Demonstration gardens, found at four locations, educate the public about the
importance of urban agriculture, while providing gardeners with valuable information. An
excellent example can be found at Growing Power (55th Street & Silver Spring Drive).
Growing Power staff provide formal and informal training sessions for people interested
in learning how to maximize the benefits of their garden plots.

Figure 3: Demonstration Garden

Accessible Gardens

Accessible gardens provide space for gardeners with special needs at four
locations throughout Milwaukee County. These garden plots are often in the form of
raised beds that allow individuals with wheel chairs and walkers to garden. These
community gardens are available at public locations, such as Grant Park (City of South
Milwaukee), and private facilities, such as the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care
(City of St. Francis).

Milwaukee Community Gardens 6


Neighborhood Gardens

Neighborhood gardens provide valuable green space within urban


neighborhoods at sixteen locations throughout the county. These gardens are
maintained by a variety of individuals and organizations. Garden Park (Bremen Street &
Locust Street) was a vacant lot that has been transformed into an attractive corner along
a busy city thoroughfare. Complete with public art and benches, Garden Park provides
a green oasis for residents of the surrounding Riverwest neighborhood.

Figure 4: Garden Park Figure 5: Garden Park Farmers Market


Source: www.ouropenspaces.org

Figure 6: Garden Park

Milwaukee Community Gardens 7


COMMUNITY GARDENING ORGANIZATIONS

Metro Milwaukee residents and civic leaders are fortunate to have numerous
organizations committed to fostering community gardens. Through time, talent, and
financial resources, the individuals within these organizations have sought to promote,
maintain, and expand gardens throughout Milwaukee County. Some of these
organizations are described next.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 8


Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition

The Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition (MCGC) serves as a semi-


formal network of concerned citizens and professionals. Through monthly meetings,
coalition members seek to promote the “long-term protection and sustenance of
community gardens” in addition to providing “training, education, support and resources
to groups interested in establishing community gardens and other neighborhood-scale
green spaces” throughout Milwaukee County (MCGC 2000). Many members of the
additional organizations listed below are in regular attendance at MCGC meetings. As
such, the coalition serves as a centralized institution for supporting community gardening
within Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc.

This new non-profit organization has created a land trust for the purpose of
purchasing and developing land for community gardens. Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc.
provides education, design guidance, and some maintenance assistance to groups of
individuals interested in gardening the sites that they obtain.

University of Wisconsin – Extension

The Extension’s Urban Agriculture Program coordinates several gardening


activities in the region. These include the Accessible Garden Program, Project SEEDS
(School Environmental Education Demonstration Sites), Project FEEDS (Food and
Ecosystem Educational Demonstration Sites), and rental garden plots. Extension staff
provide gardening information and assistance to the public.

U.S. Forest Service

The America’s Outdoors program, of the U.S. Forest Service, promotes the
creation and protection of public open spaces, including community gardens, throughout
Milwaukee. Although the Forest Service does not maintain direct control over these

Milwaukee Community Gardens 9


public spaces, the agency acts as a link between federal programs and local open space
efforts. The America’s Outdoors program provides environmental education for central
city youth.

Growing Power

This not-for-profit organization is involved in a number of urban food system


activities, including education, growing, processing, and retailing. Growing Power
maintains its own greenhouses, demonstration gardens, and retail establishment within
the City of Milwaukee. Growing Power hosts urban agriculture workshops and educates
school children about food system issues. Growing Power actively supports youth
entrepreneurial activities by aiding students in aquaculture (fish farming) and
vermiculture (the production of compost from worm castings). Students learn valuable
environmental and economic lessons, while earning money at the same time.

Milwaukee Community Service Corp.

In addition to its numerous landscaping projects throughout the City of


Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Community Service Corp. helps to maintain several
community gardens.

Hunger Task Force

Hunger Task Force supports the use of community gardens as a way of


combating food scarcity problems within the city. Although they currently do not
maintain any community gardens, they may be willing to do so as resources become
available.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 10


City of Milwaukee

The City of Milwaukee provides short-term leases for individuals who would like
to garden on city-owned vacant lots. In general, the city does not view gardens as
permanent, and the sites are often developed into other uses when such opportunities
become available. Along with city administrators, the local Alderpersons play a crucial
role in the presence and permanence of community gardens within their districts. If an
Alderperson does not support a garden within their district, it stands less of a chance of
remaining a permanent fixture within that neighborhood.

Milwaukee County

For decades, rental garden plots have been located within the County Grounds
(City of Wauwatosa). In recent years, the county has sold a substantial amount of its
land holdings to private entities, removing garden plots. Although the county appears to
be willing to work with gardeners to relocate their plots, permanence of community
gardens on county land remains somewhat uncertain.

Community Based Organizations

Numerous community-based organizations exist throughout the Milwaukee area.


Many of these groups have the financial, personnel, and organizational structure
available to maintain a community garden. Each of these organizations would benefit
from community building activities associated with gardening. These organizations
should be included in the creation and maintenance of gardens throughout Milwaukee.
For example, the Walnut Way Conservation Corps. is using several community
gardens for community building and fundraising activities. Likewise, Garden Park serves
as a centerpiece for Riverwest neighborhood organizations.
Ultimately, it is the residents of Milwaukee who will determine whether or not
community gardens are considered a legitimate land use that should be located within
their neighborhoods. Likewise, Milwaukeeans will be the ones who are most benefited
by the presence of gardens within their community.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 11


MAJOR ISSUES

A literature review and consultations with the organizations highlighted above


revealed the following issues that should be addressed at this time.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 12


Land Tenure

Most community gardens are located on vacant, city-owned lots or county-owned


land. As alternative uses for the land arise, the gardens are often removed. For
th
example, the proposal to construct a new Super K-mart (20 Street & Garfield Avenue)
may necessitate the removal of a large rental and youth garden. Although this retail
establishment will greatly benefit the residents and economy of the surrounding
neighborhood, one must recognize that the store might be built at the expense of
community gardeners. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of
community gardens removed to fulfill similar development purposes. University of
Wisconsin – Extension has lost about half of the nearly 3000 rental garden plots it
operated in 1997.
The relationship between community gardening and vacant parcels owned by the
City of Milwaukee must be further scrutinized. The city has assumed ownership of
hundreds of vacant parcels, and the number continues to grow. Although the city
actively attempts to redevelop these sites, many are and will not be developed in the
foreseeable future.
One reason developers shy away from these parcels is because they are located
within central city neighborhoods that are not considered attractive for new commercial
or residential development. The presence of community gardens, and other positive
amenities, could make these neighborhoods more attractive to new investment. The
City of Milwaukee must recognize the intrinsic value of community gardens, and their
role in neighborhood redevelopment activities.
Ironically, the ability of community gardens to improve neighborhoods can lead to
their own demise. Efforts must be taken to ensure that community gardens are
preserved in the face of potential development pressure. In other words, civic leaders
could use community gardens to help improve neighborhoods, recognizing that they
must be protected once the neighborhood has been rehabilitated.
The importance of protecting community gardens does not apply to only central
city neighborhoods, but to all locations throughout the county. County and other
municipal officials must recognize that community gardens located within more stable
and economically healthy neighborhoods can help ensure that communities stay that
way.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 13


One may argue that community gardeners can simply move to another vacant
parcel once a proposal is submitted for a site that already contains a garden.
Unfortunately, this policy is a great waste of resources. It takes countless people hours,
hundreds of dollars of supplies, and years for urban soil to be cultivated into fertile
ground. In addition, the fences, paths, and sitting areas that often accompany gardens
are often wasted once a garden is removed. Every effort must be taken to ensure that
actively used, fertile garden plots are preserved and maintained.
Land tenure is a major priority among community gardeners within Milwaukee. In
addition to strengthening the preservation of gardens on underutilized county land and
vacant city parcels, additional alternatives for finding garden space must be explored.
These options may include the outright purchase of land by gardening groups or the use
of existing public open space, such as school sites, to create gardens. For example,
within Seattle, Washington, community gardens are located on city-owned parkland
(Seattle’s Park and Recreation Plan 2000). Likewise, Milwaukee Urban Gardens is
currently purchasing land for garden purposes. The positive and negative aspects of
each of these alternatives within Milwaukee must be continually explored.

Figure 7: Decorated fence at 5th Street & Mineral Street

Milwaukee Community Gardens 14


Zoning

Directly related to the notion of land tenure is zoning. Currently, the City of
Milwaukee does not have zoning provisions that exclusively allow for, or protect,
community gardens. As a result, community gardens are often on sites zoned for other
uses, such as residential or commercial. When development proposals that are
consistent with the underlying zoning of a site evolve, gardeners have little recourse to
protect the elimination of their sites.
In other communities, such as Portland, Oregon, community gardening has
already been written into the city’s zoning ordinance. The Portland zoning code defines
park and open areas as:

“uses of land focusing on natural areas, large areas consisting mostly of


vegetative landscaping or outdoor recreation, community gardens, or
public squares” (City of Portland, 33.920.460)

The ordinance goes further to specify that with special limitations, community gardens
are allowed within all residential, commercial, and open space zones of the city. In fact:

“uses in the Park and Open Areas category are allowed by right” (City of
Portland, 33.100.100, 33.110.100, 33.120.100, 33.130.100).

It is interesting to note the manner in which community gardening has been


written into this ordinance. The code states that gardens are a permissible use within
each of the larger, primary use districts. As such, gardeners do not need to make a
special effort to have the zoning changed to protect their land. In the future, if gardeners
were to decide that they no longer wish to garden a particular site, the parcel could be
converted to the primary zoned use without any zoning change. This ordinance provides
both land security and flexibility. Similar language should be incorporated into the City of
Milwaukee zoning ordinance.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 15


Planning

Comprehensive and neighborhood plans often include provisions for public open
space, generally in the form of parks and playgrounds, not gardens. One exception to
this practice is the comprehensive plan for Seattle, Washington (Seattle Department of
Neighborhoods and Friends of P-Patch 2000). The open space network portion of this
plan supports:

“uses such as strolling, sitting, viewing, picnicking, public gathering, and


community gardening” (Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan – Land Use
Element, Goal 71)

The plan goes into further detail and specifies:

“one dedicated community garden for each 2,500 households” (Seattle’s


Comprehensive Plan – Land Use Element, Urban Village Open Space and
Recreation Facility Goals)

Seattle’s comprehensive plan also includes suggestions as to who should increase


community gardening within the city, and where the gardens should be located. The
plan seeks to:

“promote inter-agency and intergovernmental cooperation to expand


community gardening opportunities, and include P-Patch community
gardening among priorities for use of City surplus property” (Seattle’s
Comprehensive Plan – Land Use Element, Policy 152).

There are a couple of important issues to note when reviewing Seattle’s


Comprehensive Plan. First, it indicates desired locations to be used as community
gardens. These include surplus, presumably vacant, city land and parks. Furthermore,
the plan outlines the city agencies that should be responsible for developing new
community gardens. Finally, the comprehensive plan even specifies the number (one
for every 2500 households) of gardens that are desired within the city.
Similar, detailed language should be a part of plans for Milwaukee. The inclusion
of urban gardens in community plans is especially important in light of recent Wisconsin
Smart Growth legislation. This new legislation requires that every municipality in the

Milwaukee Community Gardens 16


state must prepare and adopt a comprehensive plan by 2010, and their zoning
ordinance must be consistent with this plan. The City of Milwaukee is just beginning
their comprehensive planning process. As such, this is an opportune time to have
community gardens placed within the city’s planning agenda. Furthermore, the inclusion
of gardens within these plans should qualify this use for community block grant funding.

Location and Design

Some object to community gardens because they are not always maintained in
the most aesthetically pleasing manner. Naturally, this does not have to be the case.
Community gardens can be very attractive public open spaces. A couple of texts have
highlighted what needs to be considered when making decisions about the location and
layout of a garden site (Naimark 1982, Sommers 1984).
Many of the ideas presented in these texts are reflected in a set of site
assessment guidelines that have been developed by Milwaukee Urban Gardens. The
issues considered by Milwaukee Urban Gardens when choosing a location for a new
garden include soil, light, drainage, water, distance to major streets, views, slope, site
layout, neighboring buildings and uses, and accessibility (Milwaukee Urban Gardens
2001a). Likewise, when choosing a site, Milwaukee Urban Gardens looks to the
surrounding neighborhood to determine whether or not a community garden is included
in any neighborhood plans, neighborhood demographics, amount of public open space
already within the neighborhood, and the proximity of existing community gardens to the
proposed location (Milwaukee Urban Gardens 2001a). When taken n
i to thoughtful
consideration, all of these ideas will help one chose an appropriate site for a community
garden. This is the first critical step in developing an effective garden design.
Once a suitable site is located, one must develop an appropriate landscape plan
in order to create an aesthetically pleasing environment within. Milwaukee Urban
Gardens has developed a set of guidelines that it uses when developing a landscape
plan for its gardens. These include providing raised garden beds, mulched pathways,
attractive fencing, well-designed compost bins, sitting and socializing areas, children’s
play areas, garden sheds, public art, and lighting (Milwaukee Urban Gardens 2001b).
Finally, special attention must be given to the perimeter of the garden. Vegetable
gardens may not always appear attractive, especially during the winter months.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 17


Decorative fencing, combined with colorful flowers, vines, and shrubs can be used to
define the edge of the garden, and partially screen undesirable aspects from adjacent
streets and neighbors. The purpose is not to block the garden from the street. This
could create an unsafe environment for gardeners, and will not create the welcome
feeling that gardens are intended to provide. Rather, the perimeter acts as a transition
between the built-up neighborhood and the urban agriculture taking place within.
The use of a professional landscape architect to develop a landscape plan for a
community garden is ideal; however, if one cannot afford the technical assistance, he or
she can take the landscape elements discussed here into consideration on his or her
own to develop a well-designed community garden. Furthermore, students at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Landscape Architecture, may be willing
to design Milwaukee community gardens as part of their course work. Likewise,
practicing landscape architects may be willing to provide some pro-bono design
guidance to organizations within their own neighborhoods and the surrounding
community. Design resources such as these should be explored as one begins to plan a
community garden.

Maintenance

Even if a successful design is implemented at a garden site, the garden will


require continued maintenance to keep it aesthetically pleasing and functional. Garden
maintenance requires time and financial resources. Several organizations, including the
Milwaukee Community Service Corps., University of Wisconsin – Extension, Growing
Power, and gardeners currently provide garden maintenance. No new community
garden should be developed unless thorough attention is given to a maintenance plan
for the site. This plan should include information about the individuals and organizations
responsible for various maintenance tasks, when the different maintenance tasks should
occur, who will pay for necessary maintenance, and what will happen if individuals or
organizations do not fulfill their maintenance requirements. If community gardens are to
be considered a legitimate land use in the eyes of local officials, they must follow a set of
maintenance standards, just like other land uses.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 18


Organization

As indicated earlier in this paper, there are a variety of different organizations


working to promote and maintain community gardens throughout the area. Often, the
activities of one organization may overlap the activities of another, leading to some
inefficiency of community resources. The Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition
(MCGC) is working to create more organization among Milwaukee’s gardening
community.

Funding

Garden acquisition, development, and maintenance require funding. Are


gardeners within Milwaukee currently making full use of all the sources of funding that
are available to them, including public and private contacts? One potential source of
funding that should be explored in greater detail is the sale of produce and value added
products from community gardens. Not only could this help to offset the operating costs
of community gardens, but it could also provide valuable lessons about entrepreneurial
activities, especially to young people.
Special attention must be given to maintenance related funding. Although one
may be able to acquire land with relatively little cost, either through leasing from the city
or county, or from gifts made by private landowners, the funds required for long-term
maintenance may not be as easily acquired. Every community garden within Milwaukee
should have a funding plan, highlighting operating and capital improvement costs, and
funding sources.

Government Cooperation

Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee should do more to encourage


community gardening. Community gardens do not generate property tax revenue. In
this time of tight budgets, county and city officials want to do all they can to increase
their tax bases. Tax-exempt community gardens may be viewed as an obstacle to
meeting this goal. On the contrary, the opposite might be true. As already indicated,

Milwaukee Community Gardens 19


when residents and businesses move to a county, city, or neighborhood, they are often
in search of amenities outside the boundary of their parcel. Similar to parks, museums,
and festivals, thriving community gardens are a positive amenity that should be actively
supported and used by government officials to attract the business and residential
development that they would like to see.
Furthermore, community gardens can help municipal officials cope with some of
the social issues that they are faced with. Community gardens provide low-income
residents with a way to supplement their diets with relatively low cost food. Gardeners
who don’t use all of their vegetables can help low income families by donating some of
their community garden produce to the “Harvest for the Hungry” program sponsored by
Second Harvest of Wisconsin. Thus, community gardens help to limit the amount of
food related assistance that local government must provide through food stamps and
other means. The reduction in social program costs, and the ability for families to
provide for themselves, helps to make-up for a loss in property tax revenue that garden
plots would have otherwise had.

Public Education

The long-term success of community gardens will largely depend on support


from local residents. If a couple of vocal individuals express their disapproval over a
garden, they can spell disaster for its permanence. Further education efforts must take
place to help ensure that the residents of Milwaukee understand the importance of
community gardens and the benefits for their neighborhoods. For example, University of
Wisconsin – Extension provides staff dedicated to gardening education. Likewise,
Growing Power hosts weekend conferences, and other educational sessions for the
purpose of educating the public about the numerous aspects of urban agriculture.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 20


CASE STUDIES

Community gardening is not a new concept. Successful urban agriculture


activities have always been taking place within our cities. Some ideas about how to
address the issues facing Milwaukee’s gardens can be found when studying gardening
projects in other communities. Descriptions of urban agriculture activities throughout the
United States are presented next. Each approach is slightly different, and thus, can
provide a variety of examples of what Milwaukeeans can do to improve community
gardening within their city.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 21


Seattle, Washington

Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods maintains a community gardening


program referred to as P-Patch. City P-Patch program staff work with the non-profit
Friends of P-Patch organization to maintain 39 community garden locations that are
used by 1,400 Seattle households. The gardens are located on land owned by the city,
county, Friends of P-Patch, and private interests. Maintenance of the gardens is the
responsibility of the gardeners themselves. Under the direction of P-Patch program
staff, gardeners are required to donate eight hours of their time annually for garden
maintenance. As already mentioned, provisions for community gardening can be found
within Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan. Furthermore, the mayor and common council
have publicly supported community gardening and the use of city-owned land for such
purposes. The fact that gardeners give over eight tons of their produce to Seattle food
pantries underscores importance and value of community gardens within the city.
(Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Friends of P-Patch 2000)

Figure 8: Seattle P-Patch Garden


Source: www.cityofseattle.net

Milwaukee Community Gardens 22


Portland, Oregon

Through its Parks and Recreation Department, city staff work with residents and
non-profit organizations to maintain 23 community garden locations throughout the city.
Some of Portland’s gardens are located within parks, others are on public sites, such as
schools, with the remaining sites found on privately owned land, such as churches
(Portland Parks & Recreation 2001). As already indicated, Portland’s zoning ordinance
supports community gardens as a legitimate land use. Thus, they are afforded more
protection from development pressures than found in many communities.
It is important to note the similarities between Seattle and Portland. In both
situations, the cities devote staff members to community gardening. Within the two
cities, the staff members receive significant support from non-profit organizations and
volunteers. Finally, both communities legitimize community gardening through
resolutions from their mayors, common councils, land use plans, or zoning ordinance.
These three factors combined appear to be the driving force behind the success of
community gardens within both of these cities.

San Francisco, California

The San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) is a non-profit


organization that oversees the creation and maintenance of community gardens
throughout the city. Founded in 1983, the organization now has 24 staff members,
including landscape architects. In addition to community gardens, SLUG staff stresses
the importance of personal development. To that end they provide job training and
education, especially for young people, through their maintenance crews and other
programs.
One of these other programs is Urban Herbals, which markets jams and vinegars
made of produce from the community gardens and other local farmers. In addition to
providing a locally grown product, Urban Herbals serves to provide valuable small
business related education to individuals who may not have otherwise had the
opportunity to receive such training. In the future, SLUG plans to expand its
entrepreneurial activities to include the sale of compost, mulch, and potting soil. (SLUG
2000)

Milwaukee Community Gardens 23


Boston, Massachusetts

Community gardening has played a role in the redevelopment efforts of the


Roxbury neighborhood. In 1984, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) was
formed by local residents to address the many urban ills that plagued this part of Boston.
DSNI is governed by a board of directors consisting of residents who are elected by their
peers. One major way that DSNI differs from other non-profit agencies is that the city of
Boston gave DSNI eminent domain power (Meyer 2000). If community gardens are
considered a desirable land use, then powers, such as eminent domain, can be used by
this resident driven organization to acquire land that can be used for gardening.
Urban agriculture and community gardening are significant aspects of the
community building efforts found within this neighborhood. DSNI currently oversees 13
community gardens. In addition, with the assistance of the non-profit Food Project,
neighborhood youth grow and sell their own produce at a local farmers market. They
earn money and valuable job skills in the process (Meyer 2000). Through the use of
funding from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Highway
Department, a community greenhouse will be constructed by the end of this year (DSNI
1997, Settles 2002).
One way in which DSNI’s gardening activities differs from community gardens
elsewhere is that they are using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map soil
contamination and nutrient levels throughout the neighborhood. This will help DSNI plan
for future expansion of community gardens and other urban agriculture initiatives (DSNI
1997).
Like San Francisco, Dudley Street has a very strong non-profit organization, with
full time staff members who serve as the catalyst for gardening. Furthermore, especially
in the case of Dudley Street, the local government enabled the non-profits to carryout
their desired goals.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 24


Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Through its Philadelphia Green Program, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society


has promoted community gardening, along with other greening projects, throughout
Philadelphia since 1974. One interesting aspect of the gardens within Philadelphia is
the level of attention given to design and garden aesthetics. Faculty and students of the
University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Landscape Architecture work with
Philadelphia Green staff to create landscape plans for many of the gardens. As such,
within these gardens one will find such design elements as fences, walls, gates, formal
paths, signs, tables, and benches. Providing a gathering space for gardeners and
improving the visual appearance of the neighborhood is just as important as growing
produce within these gardens. In at least one instance, the city paid for some of the
landscape improvements. (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 2000, University of
Pennsylvania 1997)
Along with the Philadelphia Green Program, part of central city Philadelphia is
being transformed with the Village of Arts and Humanities. The Village was the
inspiration of a local artist by the name of Lily Yeh. In 1986, Ms. Yeh began to convert a
vacant lot into a park. Since that time, the program has expanded to include numerous
parks, community gardens, and youth and adult education programs. The primary focus
of the Village is to improve the neighborhood, and people’s lives through the use of art.
All of the gardens and parks contain sculptures and murals produced by local residents.
Not only does artwork improve the appearance of gardens and neighborhoods located
within the Village, but it also serves as a creative outlet for individuals living within a low-
income community. (Village of Arts and Humanities 2001, Yeh 2001)

Figure 9: Village of Arts and Humanities


Source: www.villagearts.org

Milwaukee Community Gardens 25


Madison, Wisconsin

The rapidly growing city of Madison has taken steps to ensure the presence of
gardens in this community for years to come. Since 1990, community gardens have
been supported by several common council resolutions and land use plans. In 1997, the
city formed an advisory committee on community gardens. This committee published a
report in 1999 that outlines the current condition of gardens within the city and ways in
which community gardening can be further promoted and expanded. Today, there are
24 gardening sites throughout the city that are largely managed by non-profit
organizations. The location of the gardens is evenly divided between public and private
land. (Herbach 1998, City of Madison Advisory Committee on Community Gardens
1999)
Troy Gardens illustrates the success of Madison’s community gardens. For
several decades, this garden has been located on a piece of land, owned by the State of
Wisconsin, on the north side of Madison. Nearly 400 people benefit from vegetables
grown within the garden. In 1995, the State of Wisconsin decided to sell the land.
Fearing the elimination of their garden plots, local gardeners, land trusts, and community
organizations banded together in an effort to preserve the land for open space uses.
The land will soon be sold to the Madison Area Community Land Trust. Five acres will
be developed by the trust for co-housing, leaving 26 acres to be used for community
gardens, community supported agriculture, and other open space uses. (Troy Gardens
2001)

Figure 10: Troy Gardens Plan


Source: http://designcoalition.org

Milwaukee Community Gardens 26


RECOMMENDATIONS

A review of the major issues facing Milwaukee Community Gardens, combined


with information from case studies of gardens from elsewhere in the country, has
revealed that steps can and should be taken to improve Milwaukee’s gardens. The
following is a list of recommendations for community gardening organizations, the City of
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 27


Community Gardening Organizations

• Rally behind a non-profit organization, such as Milwaukee Urban Gardens Inc.


The Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition serves as an excellent platform
for community gardening organizations; however, a non-profit organization has
greater fundraising ability, and provides more accountability to local
governments.

• Continue to lobby municipal and county elected officials and staff about the
importance of community gardens within Milwaukee, and the need for their
protection.

• Improve the appearance of community gardens. Community gardens must


always aesthetically improve their neighborhood. If they are not maintained,
residents, municipal staff, and elected officials will view community gardens as a
blighting influence.

• Develop a maintenance plan for all gardens, to include a discussion about who is
responsible for maintenance of the garden, what must be accomplished, and
where necessary funding will be obtained. A maintenance plan may provide
neighbors, municipal staff, and elected officials with greater peace of mind
regarding the appearance of a potential or existing garden.

• Require that individual gardeners play a greater role in maintaining and


improving their gardens. Although the community gardening organizations do an
excellent job of providing maintenance for gardens, they can and should not bare
all of the responsibility.

• Give greater attention to the quality, rather than the quantity, of community
garden plots. Although the recent decline in community garden plots is alarming,
greater energy should be given to the improvement of existing gardens to help

Milwaukee Community Gardens 28


ensure that they remain, as compared to spending more time developing
additional garden sites.

• Incorporate more amenities, such as benches and artistic elements, within


community gardens. Even on leased sites, the willingness of a community
gardening organization to show a greater level of dedication to a parcel may help
to promote the garden’s permanence.

• Expand the role and impacts of community gardens within Milwaukee.


Community gardening organizations must continue to support produce donations
to food pantries, and other activities that provide benefit to the surrounding
community.

• Market and sell produce and refined products from Milwaukee’s community
gardens. The economic and educational value of entrepreneurial activity is yet
another potential benefit of community gardens.

• Explore additional funding options, including foundations and Community


Development Block Grants. Additional funding will allow community gardening
organizations to expand community gardening, while making the aesthetic
improvements necessary to ensure that they remain a permanent fixture within
the community.

• Catalogue and maintain more information about individual gardens. The positive
impacts that community gardens provide for surrounding neighborhoods must be
recorded.

• Increase promotion and advertisement of community gardens throughout


Milwaukee County. For community gardening to be expanded, it must be viewed
as a more mainstream activity.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 29


• Develop a community garden plan for Milwaukee. How many community garden
plots does Milwaukee need, where should they be located, what form should they
take, and who should be responsible for their maintenance? This plan should
provide community garden organizations with some leverage when working with
local governments because it will illustrate that gardens can be viewed in the
same manner as other planned amenities, such as parks.

City of Milwaukee

• City staff and elected officials must recognize the positive role that community
gardens play in maintaining and redeveloping Milwaukee’s neighborhoods.
Community gardens provide resident-driven open space, recreation, and food at
a relatively low cost to the city.

• The Milwaukee Common Council should adopt a resolution in support of


community gardens as a legitimate land use within the city, and a very
appropriate use for city-owned properties.

• The Milwaukee Common Council should adopt an amendment to the zoning


ordinance that explicitly defines and permits community gardens within all
residential and open space districts, along with some commercial districts.

• When appropriate, the city should require that a community gardens element is
included in neighborhood plans. The city should also address community
gardens in the comprehensive planning process that Wisconsin’s Smart Growth
legislation mandates.

• The city should provide longer leases for community gardens on city-owned
parcels. A longer time frame, such as ten years, would enable community
gardening organizations to make additional improvements to their garden sites
without fear of losing the space after only one or two seasons.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 30


Milwaukee County

• The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors should adopt a resolution in support


of community gardens as a legitimate land use for the County Grounds, and the
County Parks.

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

• The Department of Urban Planning should promote the legitimacy of community


gardens, and provide continued planning support to the Milwaukee community
gardening organizations. Many of the recommendations outlined above would
make excellent projects for various urban planning courses.

• Through “The Milwaukee Idea Program”, the Department of Urban Planning


and/or other UWM departments should form partnerships with community
gardening organizations.

Figure 11: 5th Street & Roger Street

Milwaukee Community Gardens 31


CONCLUSION

The residents of Milwaukee are very fortunate to have a strong system of


community gardens; however, more needs to be done to ensure that urban agriculture
remains an important element of the local landscape for decades to come. Community
garden organizations and local governments must work more closely together to
promote the idea of gardening as a legitimate, highly desirable land use.
Community garden organizations must do their part to show that urban
agriculture can be an attractive way of maintaining and improving neighborhoods within
Milwaukee. Community gardens are not simply used to cultivate vegetables. Rather,
they grow community, while improving people’s lives.
Local governments also play a crucial role in ensuring the presence of gardens.
First and foremost, local governments must recognize that community gardens are a
legitimate land use. Municipal governments have long recognized the importance of
public parks. Community gardens provide many of the same social benefits, along with
one of our most basic needs – food.
With increased support and cooperation, community gardening will continue to
benefit Milwaukee residents for decades to come.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 32


REFERENCES

City of Madison Advisory Committee on Community Gardens. 1999. “Growing a


stronger community with community gardens: an action plan for Madison.”
Madison, Wisconsin.

Code of the City of Portland, Oregon. 2000. http://ordlink.com/codes/portland,


March 4, 2001.

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. 1997. “DSNI’s proposed urban agriculture


program.” http://www.dsni.org/Urban%20Agriculture/urban_ag_program.htm,
January 10, 2001.

“Fertile Ground: Planning for the Madison / Dane County Food System.” 1997.
University of Wisconsin – Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

Herbach, Geoff. 1998. “Harvesting the city: community gardening in greater


Madison, Wisconsin.” http://www.cityfarmer.org/madison.html, November
19, 2000.

Jill Florence Lackey & Associates. 1998. “Evaluation of Community Gardens.”


Study completed in cooperation with University of Wisconsin – Extension.

Kaufman, Jerry and Martin Bailkey. 2000. “Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial
Urban Agriculture in the United States.” Working paper. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Meyer, Diana A., et al. 2000. “Dudley street neighborhood initiative.” In On the
ground with comprehensive community initiatives. Columbia, Maryland:
The Enterprise Foundation.

Milwaukee Community Garden Coalition (MCGC). 2000. Draft memorandum of


understanding, November 24.

Milwaukee Urban Gardens. 2001a. “Assessment guidelines for urban community


garden development.”

Milwaukee Urban Gardens. 2001b. “Landscape design considerations for urban


community gardens.”

Naimark, Susan, ed. 1982. Handbook of community gardening. New York:


Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 2000. “Philadelphia Green Program.”


http://www.libertynet.org/phs/pg/pg_home.html, January 11, 2001.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 33


Portland Parks & Recreation. 2001. “Portland community gardens.”
http://www.parks.ci.portland.or.us/Parks/CommunityGardens.htm,
January 10, 2001.

Pothukuchi, Kameshwari and Jerome L. Kaufman. 2000. “The food system: a stranger to
the planning field.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 66 (2).
www.cityfarmer.org/foodplan.html, October 15, 2000.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Friends of P-Patch. 2000. Draft “P


Patch program five-year plan.” http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/don/ppatch/,
January 10, 2001.

Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan. 1996.


http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/planning/CompPlan, March 4, 2001.

Seattle’s Park and Recreation Plan. 2000. http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us,


March 4,2001.

Settles, Trish. 2002. Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Personal email


correspondence, April 1, 2002.

SLUG. 2000. Various promotional materials provided by SLUG.

Sommers, Larry. 1984. Community garden book. Burlington, Vermont:


Gardens for All/The National Association for Gardening.

Troy Gardens. 2001. Promotional material and presentation given at the Community
Open Space Summit, Appleton, Wisconsin, October 12, 2001. Sponsored by the
Urban Open Space Foundation, Madison, Wisconsin.

University of Pennsylvania. 1997. Descriptions of Philadelphia Green garden


sites. http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/plan/, October 20, 2000.

Varela, Olmedo J. 1996. “Socio-spatial relationships and food programs in Milwaukee’s


food system.” University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee: Center for Urban Initiatives
and Research.

Village of Arts and Humanities. 2001. “About the Village.”


http://www.villagearts.org, November 10, 2001.

Yeh, Lilly. 2001. Speech given at the Community Open Space Summit,
Appleton, Wisconsin, October 12, 2001. Sponsored by the Urban Open
Space Foundation, Madison, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Community Gardens 34


APPENDIX A: Community Garden Contacts

Wisconsin Organizations

Milwaukee Urban Gardens


2107 East Capitol Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211
Phone: 414-963-1162
Email: milwurbangardens@hotmail.com

Milwaukee Community Gardening Coalition


c/o University of Wisconsin – Extension (Milwaukee County)
Will be moving shortly, new address not final at time of publication.
Web: www.uwex.edu

Growing Power
5500 West Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53218
Phone: 414-527-1546
Email: info@growingpower.org
Web: www.growingpower.org

America’s Outdoors
United States Forest Service
310 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 100
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
Phone: 414-297-3693

Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, Inc.


201 South Hawley Court
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214
Phone: (414) 777-0483
Web: www.hungertaskforce.org

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee


Department of Urban Planning
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
Phone: 414-229-4014
Web: www.uwm.edu/SARUP

Milwaukee Community Gardens 35


University of Wisconsin – Madison
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
925 Bascom Mall, 110 Music Hall
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Phone: 608-262-1004
Web: www.wisc.edu/urpl

University of Wisconsin – Madison


Department of Landscape Architecture
1450 Linden Drive, 1 Agriculture Hall
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Phone: 608-263-7300
Web: www.wisc.edu/la

Urban Open Space Foundation


200 North Blount Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Phone: 608-255-9877
Email: saveland@uosf.org
Web: www.uosf.org

National Organizations

American Community Gardening Association


100 North 20th Street, 5th floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
Phone: 215-988-8785
Web: www.communitygarden.org

City of Seattle P-Patch Program


700 3rd Avenue, 4th Floor
Seattle Washington 98104
Phone: 206-684-0264
Email: p-patch.don@ci.seattle.wa.us
Web: www.ci.seattle.wa.us/don

City of Portland Parks & Recreation


1120 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1302
Portland, Oregon 97204
Phone: 503-823-1612
Email: pkweb@ci.portland.or.us
Web: www.parks.ci.portland.or.us

San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners


2088 Oakdale Avenue
San Francisco, California 94124
Phone: 415-285-7584
Web: www.slug-sf.org

Milwaukee Community Gardens 36


Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
504 Dudley Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02119
Phone: 617-442-9670
Web: www.dsni.org

West Philadelphia Landscape Project


Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
Graduate School of Fine Arts
University of Pennsylvania
119 Meyerson Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6311
Web: www.upenn.edu/wplp/plan/garden.htm

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society


100 North 20th Street, 5th floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-1495
Phone: 215-988-8800
Web: www.libertynet.org/phs

The Village of Arts and Humanities


2544 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19133
Phone: 215-225-7830
Email: village@villagearts.org
Web: www.villagearts.org

Madison’s Troy Gardens


Email: troygardens@yahoo.com

Milwaukee Community Gardens 37


APPENDIX B: Milwaukee Community Garden Map

Milwaukee Community Gardens 38


Rental Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 39


School Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 40


Youth Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 41


Demonstration Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 42


Accessible Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 43


Neighborhood Gardens

Milwaukee Community Gardens 44

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