Landscape Architect and University of Pennsylvania professor Karl Linn described the commons as a “gathering space – indoor or outdoor – that people have personalized to meet the needs of their community.” ¹ Planted spaces are not the commons themselves; rather, they can mobilize the creation of a commons through the creation of activity, food, cultural significance, and celebration. Commons are essential features in community-centred planting design as they allow a means by which community members can connect over the shared care and enjoyment of a planted space.
Here are just a few suggestions on how you can transform your planted project into an adaptable commons that invites participation!
Adaptability – Creating Levels of Commons
In his book, “Building Commons and Community”, Linn discusses the Three Levels of Commons – levels that align with the temporality and the effort put into the creation of the commons. In your planting designs, consider what opportunities are available to create all three and how each level could enhance the relationship between an existing design feature and the user.
Instant Commons
An instant commons is a quick personalization to a space that is created in a short period of time and will only be used for a short period time. They can be spontaneous and adaptable. The beauty in them lies in their ability to “empower and challenge the audience, or inhabitants of spaces, to change their surroundings to suit their needs.”(Linn, 2007)¹
Temporary Commons
A temporary commons involves the actual change of a space that lasts for repeated or prolonged uses of the change or personalization. Examples of temporary commons are stages for festivals, booths and seating for farmer’s markets, and decorations for seasonal events.
Lasting Commons
As its name suggests, a lasting commons is created to stay in the community for an extended period, if not indefinitely. This type of commons can empower community members to create lasting, and sometimes permanent, creative alterations to the neighbourhood fabric. Linn suggests interspersing multiple lasting common spaces within a community garden/space to create a network of commons. This will create multiple rooms and more “opportunities for gardeners, their families, and friends to socialize.”(Linn, 2007)¹
Consider how each level of commons can fit into your design and highlight a different aspect of your planting.
Participatory – Inviting People Into Your Commons
Now that you have your commons in place, how do you get the community to come into your space? Below are a couple of suggestions on how you can invite the community to take ownership of a planted space.
Facilitate Conversation
Consider how your community members will communicate important information – requests for help, calls to action, and notices about the garden.
Beacon Food Forest in Seattle is a great case study of how a community board can invite stewardship and community-led initiatives. Their community board is where they lay out their community expectations and communicate the tasks that need to be completed in the garden. This allows gardeners to drop-in and engage with the garden on their own time. This board is also a place where community members can call out for support with initiatives they are interested in spearheading/piloting in the garden.
See our community miro board for how this can be done digitally! Password is communitybulletin.
Documented conversation can also be valuable opportunities for sharing cross-cultural narratives and sentiments. A commonplace book – a “journal…for collective personal experiences, feelings, ongoing interaction(s)…(and any) information related to traditional culture” – can be especially effective in providing opportunities for individual and collective story-sharing outside of in-person interactions at the garden. (Datta, 2018).³
Feed the People, Invite Celebration
The celebration of events can be one of the greatest joys that comes out of a planted space, especially here in our Vancouver climate; from spring blooms to fall harvests, seasonality naturally invites ritual and bears much cultural significance to holidays across many cultures. With celebration, naturally, comes food.
As Karl Linn says, “breaking bread together – sharing food and drink – needs to be a vital part of gathering” ¹. Food can be a powerful bridge between people and cultures, especially if it is grown in the community.² Consider how community engagement can help plan for responding to cultural culinary needs.
Through your means of communication (see above), ask your community what celebration means to them – are there any important holidays for groups in your community? What about personal/family rituals they would like to share with the broader neighbourhood?
Celebration can also create incentives for community participation in stewardship activities. When a milestone is achieved (for example, a successful harvest is conducted, a new bed is planted, a new art piece is installed), again, consider how space is conducive for celebration and effective meaning-making. ³
Below are some initiatives working with culturally appropriate foods and gardens in the Greater Vancouver Area.
Think about how you can employ instant and temporary commons to create spaces for celebration. These spaces could involve opportunities for…
- Music/performance
- Dance
- Food preparation/eating
- Markets
- Crafting
- Culturally specific programming
1. [Linn, K. (2007). Building Commons and Community. New Village Press.
2. Firth, C., Maye, D., & Pearson, D. (2011). Developing “community” in community gardens. Local Environment, 16(6), 555–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2011.586025
3. Datta, R. (2019a). Sustainability: Through cross-cultural Community Garden Activities. Local Environment, 24(8), 762–776. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.209.1641073