Some cities have regulations covering community gardens because they take up space. Many of these regulations were designed in the abstract, without a sense of what community gardens actually involve or their potential impacts. As a result, in some jurisdictions, regulations can be heavy-handed, if not prohibitive. In other jurisdictions, there are programs to actively promote gardens. There has been very little research about what kind of regulations are currently in force. There is considerable potential for qualitative research here. An SRP could begin by mapping out the regulations pertaining to community gardens in the jurisdictions of San Diego County (or, if possible, beyond).
While this project would have obvious immediate implications for policy-making, the relevant literature and the utility of such a project is unclear because the topic is so new. It is likely that the literature review would require a study of all academic work written about community gardens (their impacts on property values, use as a way of mobilizing poorer communities, etc.). The study might then
argue that no one talks about how government regulation shapes community gardens..
A more overtly political study would compare the process by which Chula Vista drafted its community garden ordinance with the City of San Diego’s attempt to revise its own community garden zoning and permitting process, both efforts that are still underway (September 2009). While it is not immediately clear what such a study would reveal, it is worth noting that the City of San Diego has had a difficult time treating community gardens on their own terms and, instead, has attempted to fit them into existing categories within its current zoning code (changes to the code itself are very time-consuming). Interested students could begin with a preliminary literature review, and then consult a political science professor about other literary sources.
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