Building protective data infrastructure for urban community gardens

Lessons from the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative

Abstract

Across U.S. cities, community gardens embody a conundrum: they are vital to community well-being and integral to urban social infrastructure, yet they are also profoundly vulnerable due to insecure land tenure, fragmented policy support, and systemic disinvestment. This reflective essay examines how garden data infrastructure can shape both sides of this conundrum, strengthening gardens’ contribu­tions to community life while also heightening their vulnerability to land loss. We focus on the case of the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative (PGDC), a multistakeholder initiative dedicated to documenting, protecting, and advocating for community-managed green space in Philadelphia. As participant researchers, we trace the evolution of PGDC’s efforts from grassroots mapping to the development of coordinated data stewardship, and we explore how these efforts have enabled both emergency interventions (such as preventing sheriff sale evictions) and long-term preservation strate­gies. We examine the ethical dilemmas involved in collecting and using sensitive community data in a context where bureaucratic neglect has historically rendered gardens invisible, and where increased visibility can expose them to new forms of risk. While data can strengthen advocacy and inform policy, it must be coupled with secure tenure mechanisms and sustained public investment to ensure the future of urban gardens.