Work In Action
Standing for Our Community Gardens
Our work focuses on protecting and strengthening community gardens across New York City. Through advocacy, organizing, and direct support, we partner with gardeners to ensure these spaces remain recognized, protected, and accessible.
From policy efforts to on-the-ground initiatives, we help elevate the role of community gardens as essential resources for food access, youth development, and neighborhood resilience.
Sign On: Open Letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani
The Council of Gardeners invites you to sign on to an open letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for meaningful, ongoing collaboration between community gardeners and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
For more than 50 years, community gardeners have transformed vacant lots into vibrant green spaces that nourish neighborhoods across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
These gardens serve as hubs for youth leadership, food access, cultural connection, and environmental stewardship, often in communities that have experienced long-standing disinvestment.
As the city enters a new chapter of leadership, we are urging the administration to establish clear and transparent pathways for gardener engagement in parks policy and decision-making.
Add your name to stand with gardeners across NYC and support inclusive, community-led stewardship of our shared green spaces.
Preserve Our Gardens, Protect Our Future
On August 21, Mayor Adam’s released Executive Order 43 that requires city agencies to review their city owned and controlled land for potential housing development sites. The Department of Parks and Recreation was identified as one of the agencies along with others.
Community gardens are vital public resources that provide food access, environmental benefits, youth development opportunities, and neighborhood resilience. As conversations about land use continue, it is essential that community gardens are recognized, protected, and valued as permanent green infrastructure within our city.
Join us in affirming the protection of community gardens and supporting policies that ensure any land review process fully acknowledges the irreplaceable role these spaces play in strengthening New York City communities.