Paulina Jeziorek

Abstract

The ongoing academic debate shows that urban community gardening has diverse governance models with differing roles for governmental organizations, NGOs and local communities. However,  the perspective of community gardens governed by the involvement of cultural institutions is rarely explored in academic research. This paper use a two-case study approach to explore the relations between community gardens and cultural institutions. We first identify initial governance models for selected case studies. Next, we try to identify any changes in these governance structures, depending on the different stages of garden development and determine the reasons behind them. Finally, we pose a somewhat provocative question: Should cultural institutions be part of community gardens governance structures at all? The results show these gardens are characterized by a changing governance model, shifting towards top-down model, in which community members have no influence on strategic decisions. The involvement of cultural institutions in running community gardens is not assessed in a solely positive light. Although it facilitates their longevity, at the same time  may disempower their viability.

Keywords: urban community gardens, governance, cultural institutions, Poland

Barbara Maćkiewicz [barbara.mackiewicz@amu.edu.pl], Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Wydział Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej
Paulina Jeziorek [paulina.jeziorek@umk.pl], Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Kopernikański Ośrodek Integracji

Citation

APA: Maćkiewicz, B., & Jeziorek, P. (2024). Exploring relations between community gardens and cultural institutions in terms of diverse governance models: A case study of Warsaw and Poznań, Poland. Przegląd Geograficzny, 96(1), 99-122. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.1.5
MLA: Maćkiewicz, Barbara, and Jeziorek, Paulina. "Exploring relations between community gardens and cultural institutions in terms of diverse governance models: A case study of Warsaw and Poznań, Poland". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 96, no. 1, 2024, pp. 99-122. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.1.5
Chicago: Maćkiewicz, Barbara, and Jeziorek, Paulina. "Exploring relations between community gardens and cultural institutions in terms of diverse governance models: A case study of Warsaw and Poznań, Poland". Przegląd Geograficzny 96, no. 1 (2024): 99-122. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.1.5
Harvard: Maćkiewicz, B., & Jeziorek, P. 2024. "Exploring relations between community gardens and cultural institutions in terms of diverse governance models: A case study of Warsaw and Poznań, Poland". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 96, no. 1, pp. 99-122. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.1.5