Network of Community Gardens in Highbridge

The Highbridge neighborhood takes its name from the adjacent bridge built in 1848 by Irish immigrants and is home to several community gardens and farms occupying lots that were vacant between the 1970s and 1990s. These communal spaces were created for recreational and educational use. The gardens serve as places to grow human relationships, fostering learning opportunities, and provide safe spaces in a wide variety of neighborhoods.

The community gardens located in Highbridge are Sweetgum Community Garden, Woodycrest Community Garden, La Isla Youth Community Garden, Las Casitas Community Garden, Target Bronx (formerly Anderson Avenue Community Garden) and Taqwa Community Farm. Most of these gardens were created between the 1980s and 1990s. During this time the community gardeners decided to beautify their neighborhood and make productive space out of underutilization, vacant, or abandoned lots.

This network of gardens is maintained by residents, and community gardeners who dedicate their time to care for the gardens. Some gardens are currently protected under Green Thumb, others under the New York Restoration Project. Community garden stewards are volunteers who oversee the coordination, management, and maintenance for the garden. They also empowered each other to maintain these spaces in their community, sharing tools and resources. For this neighborhood these gardens combat food insecurity, build social capital to better deal with community problems while boosting the local morale and improve community health. Community gardeners reflect the diversity of the population of this neighborhood.

There are many gardens to explore in this area; this study focuses on one garden La Isla Youth Garden located at 96-98 W. 163rd Street between Woodycrest & Nelson Avenues. I selected La Isla because youth members were our guides throughout the tour, and I felt inspired by how they took ownership of their space. The garden runs many youth-oriented programs that train young people to become leaders, while helping them develop workplace skills. These strong social connections have a positive impact on the health of community members.

Through the garden manager I learned that La Isla hosts many youth-oriented programs, and at the same time it creates a generational connection to the garden and the neighborhood. Parents that were once a part of the program in their youth now bring their children here. The hope is that one day one a new leader will take over and hopefully continue working with children and the community. The manager explained: “this is what I’m trying to create, a garden for them, so that they can bring their children’s children, and that the garden can be maintained by the next generations of stewards.”

The ability to live a healthy life is not equally available to all New Yorkers. Resources and opportunities are key components of good health. These include healthy and affordable food, access to these resources and opportunities that neighborhoods with residents of color often do not have. Bodegas are less likely to have healthy food options than supermarkets. These community gardens are another source of healthy food.