Community gardens

Definition

Shared, collectively managed green spaces that integrate food production and habitat features to support urban biodiversity.

What this strategy does

Provides small-scale, fine-grained habitat within neighbourhoods while supporting social participation and food growing. Avoids single-use, ornamental-only planting and short-term temporary installations.

Context

In Aotearoa New Zealand cities, community gardens frequently occupy fragmented or low-value land but can contribute meaningfully to urban biodiversity when designed and managed for ecological function rather than solely production or amenity¹.

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Technical considerations

Design considerations

Plant diversity

• Use structurally and functionally diverse planting (native and non-invasive exotic) to support multiple taxa and seasonal resources¹, ².

Habitat features

• Integrate logs, coarse woody debris, varied vegetation layers, and undisturbed soil zones to increase habitat complexity³.

Spatial permeability

• Limit impervious surfaces that restrict soil processes⁴.

Landscape context

• Locate gardens to complement nearby green spaces or corridors to increase ecological value beyond the site⁴, ⁵.

Implementation considerations

Design priority

• Plan gardens for long-term use, perennial planting, and ecological stewardship rather than short-term yield only¹.

Key constraint

• Land tenure insecurity reduces willingness to invest in long-lived habitat features¹.

Relevant tools or standards

• Local council community garden guidelines and urban greening frameworks.

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Issues & barriers

Insecure land tenure

• Temporary or informal garden status discourages investment in habitat features with long establishment periods¹.

Competing objectives

• Food production, aesthetics, and safety concerns may conflict with biodiversity-supportive practices².

Knowledge gaps

• Limited ecological guidance for gardeners can reduce biodiversity outcomes².

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Synergies & opportunities

• Human wellbeing – Regular participation is associated with improved wellbeing and social connection⁶.
• Empowerment – Collective management builds local capacity and stewardship⁶.
• Food security – Gardens can supplement household food supply, though benefits vary by context⁷.

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Financial case

Ecosystem services & performance value

• Pollination support, soil health improvement, and reduced reliance on chemical inputs³, ⁷.

Cost-effectiveness: Investment logic

• Low-cost interventions embedded within existing land uses can deliver multiple co-benefits when tenure is secure¹.

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Monitoring & evaluation metrics

Core metric

• Plant species richness and structural diversity across growing seasons³.

Advanced or long-term metric

• Soil biological indicators (e.g. soil fauna presence, organic matter trends)³.

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Additional resources or tools

• WSP Urban Greening Tool. Evaluates green infrastructure integration
• NZ Plant Conservation Network. Native plant identification and species lists
• iNaturalist NZ. Citizen science biodiversity recording
• Kai Growing Spaces. Auckland Council resource

References

1. Philpott, S.M., Bichier, P., Perez, G.E., Jha, S., Liere, H. & Lin, B.B. (2023). Land tenure security and luxury support plant species and trait diversity in urban community gardens. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
2. van Heezik, Y., Dickinson, K.J.M. & Freeman, C. (2012). Closing the gap: communicating to change gardening practices in support of native biodiversity in urban private gardens. Ecology and Society, 17(1).
3. Tresch, S., Frey, D., Bayon, R.L., et al. (2019). Direct and indirect effects of urban gardening on above- and below-ground diversity influencing soil multifunctionality. Scientific Reports, 9.
4. Goddard, M.A., Dougill, A.J. & Benton, T.G. (2010). Scaling up from gardens: biodiversity conservation in urban environments. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25(2), 90–98.
5. Garrard, G.E., Williams, N.S.G., Mata, L., Thomas, J. & Bekessy, S.A. (2018). Biodiversity sensitive urban design. Conservation Letters, 11.
6. Egli, V., Oliver, M. & Tautolo, E.S. (2016). The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing. Preventive Medicine Reports, 3, 348–352.
7. Lin, B.B., Bichier, P., Liere, H., Egerer, M.H., Philpott, S.M. & Jha, S. (2024). Community gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven. Sustainability Science.