This map showcases a quick glimpse in the world of economic disparity as we can see how many community gardens are located near low to high income levels. We can distinguish the background with income. As the background color shifts from white to green to blue, income levels in that area rise. What really stands out is that lower and midtown are almost devoid of community gardens. Unfortunately, we believe that it would be impossible for Manhattan to set up a proper green oasis due to companies and organizations trying to gain any inch possible for their business. An interesting tidbit is there are a whopping estimated 40 community gardens in the East Village. This can be due to how artistic the community is coupled with their willingness to work and maintain the gardens. Again, there is history behind these community gardens and we can see that they are being held in check against businesses. We can assume that the city protects them. Another informative insight is that the majority of these community gardens are located in the outer boroughs and in areas with income levels fewer than $40,000.  

We can see some quotes from local community members who say that their fellow green members come from different places:

“Who lives in this neighborhood?

It’s like the UN , when I first moved in there, it was just basically, you know, black African-Americans, but slowly, I mean, it wasn’t that slow, the neighborhood changed like in the last 10 years or so we’ve had, you know, Caucasians, Asians. The rents have gone up. ”

–Community Garden member from 100 Quincy Community Garden (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn)

“We get students from NYU. We get people from Chinatown coming in. We get people from the movies coming in here. I mean, pretty much everybody.

–Community Garden Member from Liz Christy Community Garden (East Village, Manhattan)