borque is president of the jardin communautaire basile-patenaude, a community garden committee which has pioneered a new wave of garden and urban farming projects in the rosemont-la petite-patrie neighborhood of montreal. a number of local residents have taken over the neighborhood’s vacant lots and hidden crevices to creatively congeal eco-friendly and urban living––resulting in the so-called “edible alleyway.” according to borque, the community garden team started the edible alleyway project in 2015 as part of a land rehabilitation project, which utilized a 20,000 square foot vacant lot.

the lane has grown to accommodate a neighborhood chicken coop, over 100 fruit trees, a mushroom garden, and fences plastered with local art. in the alleyway, members of the community interact with nature and harvest fresh produce free of charge, alleviating food insecurity in the area.

rosemont-la petite-patrie is a densely populated neighborhood northeast of downtown montreal, a multi-cultural and vibrant side of the city beginning to take on a new identity. the trendy and growing neighborhood was once a maze of concrete alleyways solely defined by nearby famed attractions, like the jean-talon market or the olympic village. with community projects like the edible alleyway, rosemont-la-petite-patrie is making a new name for itself by growing greener.

the garden committee wanted to revitalize the space for the neighborhood, so they brainstormed projects to beautify the area. they conceived of the alley, separate from the community gardens, as a place where anyone, from any part of the city, can come and walk through.

“the place is both a place of passage and a place of relaxation,” bourque said. “some people take it just as a shortcut while other residents of the neighborhood frequent it. the henhouse is a very popular stopover for families… fruit trees are very popular in the harvest season and we often see people with bowls scooping fruit at the end of summer.”

the transformed space is a point of pride for locals, who clean the space and care about how it looks. it has provided a place for community bonding and understanding. 

“the fact that people from different backgrounds or social classes meet there allows a dialogue that would probably not take place otherwise,” borque said.

green space is vital to urban areas as it provides invaluable physical and mental health benefits to residents with access. yet, these essential spaces can disappear from cities as increased urbanization takes place. it is difficult to quantify how fast green space is sacrificed to urbanization due to a lack of research, but the effects can be felt tangibly. 

in a 2020 article in the journal land, researchers johan colding, Åsa gren and stephan barthel note that the reasons for the loss of green space need to be studied further. yet, one reason for shrinking public land is increased privatization of green areas. according to the article, green space provides “invaluable ecosystem services to humans that are important to plan for in cities.” for example, green space helps absorb carbon dioxide, thus helping to improve air quality, reduce heat and offset a city’s carbon emissions. however, the researchers found “economic motives and urban neoliberal policies are liable explanations behind the loss of public space in many cities.”

borque has noticed a loss of public space happening in his own city. “the original design of towns included public passageways, while in most new projects, these passages are now private,” borque said. “it isolates people––since no common place exists anymore.”

yet, the jardin communautaire basile-patenaude have made a difference in montreal by creating an open space for residents to wander and gather. 

“the idea of ​​focused concrete cities no longer makes sense,” borque said. “the garden and these kind of community projects are an image of this new way of seeing the city. people need to live in their neighborhood and to feel good about it.”

“we tend to undervalue our public spaces until we really need them,” bejjani said.

public spaces are becoming symbolic images of the crisis as the nation stays indoors. while many businesses have shut their doors, public green spaces are now the go-to place for many seeking refuge from their indoor routines.

“utilizing green spaces during times of crises and empathizing with others attempting to cope, even at a distance, could provide a feeling of community and comfort,” explained christina baum, a masters of public health student from the university of arizona who works with the pima county planning division.

“i do hope that as people become more desperate for the outdoors and physical activity, the value of green spaces for all community members will be recognized,” baum said. “many people seem to be hesitant about getting outdoors and exercising in public spaces because it’s unfamiliar to them, but this pandemic has been pushing people to engage in new activities.”

in parts of the country like tucson, arizona, people are starting to take advantage of clear skies and warm temperatures. tucson is home to 128 parks and 131 miles of paved bikeways to connect community members with the outdoors.

these green public spaces have seen an uptick in usage as residents were ordered to remain at home and engage in social distancing. 

“i believe that these trying times are shedding light on peoples’ desire to access public spaces,” said julian griffee, climate adaptation planning outreach assistant to the city of tucson and urban planning graduate student from the university of arizona.

“i’m interested to see if the public will continue to adopt new habits like cycling and walking outdoors once the pandemic begins to calm down,” griffee said. “will we start to see cities across the nation promote and invest in public spaces and green infrastructure?”

in 2018, voters approved a $225 million bond package  to improve park amenities, a sign that the tucson community is committed to investing more in green spaces for public use.

“public spaces like parks and bike pathways serve important contributions to our community’s public health by promoting healthy outcomes and reducing the number of injuries and fatalities associated with automobile incidents,” griffee said. “but these green spaces also serve an important function in our fight to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.”

cities like tucson are challenged by the onset of rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect. increased concentrations of buildings and pavement absorb and retain heat that increase an urban environment’s energy costs, air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and mortality.

urban mitigation and adaptation efforts to “green” public spaces are enabling residents to make more sustainable choices for their health and built environment.

“i think the pandemic is showing how adaptable we all can be,” baum said. “i hope that some of the changes we are making today will empower us with skills and confidence to continue making those changes once it is over.”

in this short video, i wanted to tell the story of my neighborhood on madison’s east side. it is known for being a more working class side of town and not as attractive to tourists. because of this, children in the area may be less likely to have the outdoors access that children in wealthier areas have. that’s why it’s so important that programs like the one in this video exist. i hope you enjoy it, and i hope it inspires you to get outdoors!

actively looking for pocket parks made me realize just how many there are in d.c. as i leave my house, i can see at least five on new hampshire avenue before the washington circle. i thought maybe it would be difficult to find greenery outside of a coffee shop, but there was a tiny pocket park outside of the first coffee shop i walked by on k street.

pocket parks offer a chance to take shelter from human activity, along with the birds and squirrels. the city has a number of coalitions and community organizations to keep pocket parks well maintained so every one has the chance to escape every once in a while. you can look for your local park organization or start one here.

of course, we are still far away from seeing green tree frogs in our parks. the green city utopia of today is more focused on reviving caterpillar populations and pollinators with native plants. the utopia of tomorrow will re-establish bird biodiversity. the next century may bring a fully integrated city, but until then pocket parks are the stepping-stones we need for a healthy, biodiverse urban environment.