Guerrilla gardening and green activism: rethinking the informal urban growing movement

Hardman, Michael and Chipungu, Lovemore and Magidimisha, Hangwelani and Larkham, Peter J. and Scott, Alister and Armitage, Richard (2017) Guerrilla gardening and green activism: rethinking the informal urban growing movement. Landscape and Urban Planning, 170. pp. 6-14. ISSN 0169-2046

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Abstract

Green activism and guerrilla gardening lie at the more informal end of the urban food growing movement, but
little is known about the extent of this practice or the future of such unplanned activities. Accordingly, this paper
firstly explores a range of informal Urban Agriculture practices, illuminating the practice within Europe, North
America, Africa and other continents. The paper then proceeds to focus explicitly on Salford, UK, where guerrilla
gardening is being encouraged by the local authority. Using ethnographic and interview data, we focus on the
actors involved, their relationship with authority and the wider impact of their activities; exploring their mo-
tives, aspirations, values and beliefs. The results reveal the ability of the informal movement to regenerate
‘forgotten’ space and bring communities together, and the ‘darker’ side of the activity, with actors sometimes
restricting access to colonised land. Ultimately, the paper reveals how this movement is expanding and that more
research is required to better understand the actions of those who pursue a more informal approach to urban
gardening and those who seek to regulate land use activity.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	As a contributing author I was unaware of acceptance date and publication until published copy received
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.08.015
Dates:	Date Event 12 September 2017 Published Online 1 August 2017 Accepted
Subjects:	CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-04 - planning (urban, rural and regional) CAH26 - geography, earth and environmental studies > CAH26-01 - geography, earth and environmental studies > CAH26-01-03 - human geography
Divisions:	Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment > College of Built Environment
Depositing User:	Peter Larkham
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2018 07:31
Last Modified:	20 Jun 2024 11:46
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6234

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