Matthew Morowitz

My thesis attempts to demonstrate why it is important that community gardens in New York City hold on to their history. Even as their surrounding neighborhoods change, community gardens serve as reminders that one’s right to the city is not contingent on private property ownership or waiting for the city to act on behalf of the most vulnerable. By re-centering these narratives of their autonomy and activism, newer members and garden visitors will have the opportunity to explore the deeper layers of history and struggle that went into creating these spaces and reconceive the gardens as areas of resistance that spur dialogue about the future of these spaces and their own place in this history. The exploration of these histories and narratives informed a design-led project aimed at creating outreach materials — in this case in the form of a pamphlet for the Green Oasis garden in Manhattan’s East Village — foregrounding stories of community-led autonomous action to add to the dialogue about the garden space, its membership, and the collective power of the public at large.