The Greenhouse Project is in a specially designated garden district in the middle of San Francisco’s urban sprawl—think the latter part of the moniker “concrete jungle.” The neighborhood’s identity and historical use is wrapped up in agriculture, and the project recognizes the importance of that identity.
“In a rapidly changing city, both physically and demographically, many of our neighbors feel that holding onto this neighborhood heritage and continuing to identify proudly as the Garden District offers connection to each other and a rooted sense of community, history, and home,” said Lucia Pohlman, program manager for the Greenhouse Project. “We’ve found that gardening and food-growing is an interest and skillset shared by many.”
The Greenhouse Project also aims to be a model for similar strategies in other cities. “Start a conversation, know your neighbors, and find ways to communicate and connect,” Pohlman added. “A community’s collective sense of ownership over its home can be a powerful and galvanizing thing.”
