Investigating the services and functions of community gardens: A synthsis analysis

Given the mounting population and migration to cities, fastidious attention to food security is indispensable to increasing social and cultural cohesion. A community garden is a plot of land in an urban area, it is planted by a group of citizens who are engaged in gardening. The community garden is an approach is considered by policymakers and urban planners for honing social cohesion and security due to its functions and services. In this research, these functions of community gardens have been investigated using a qualitative approach via synthesizing respective indicators and components. Based on the research findings, the services and functions of community gardens are clustered into eight groups with different valuable components. Accordingly, a questionnaire was designed with eight dimensions and 125 components. Using Cochran's formula, the sample size of 92 people was selected and information from a sample of Karaj city was collected. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed through an expert panel of scientists and specialists, and the reliability of tests was measured via Cronbach’s alpha (0.89). The results showed that amongst the eight services and functions investigated, the educational dimension was ranked highest followed by environmental and health dimensions, respectively. The functions of these gardens in urban planning are well explained and in the design of the city and urban planning can be considered important elements and uses. Based on the results, it was suggested to embed the valuing of ecosystem services particularly the social functions of social gardens in architecture and urban development policies.