Abstract

The Author focus on the recent resurgence of urban gardening in Western cities and on the effects of this grassroots cultural and social innovation on the evolution of urban public policies. Traditionally vegetable gardens (allotments) are associated to popular classes and subsistence economy, but recently we register a new movement in collective and critical gardening that redesign their identity, purposes and meanings. The analysis focus on three case studies of innovative urban policies: the pioneering experience of community gardens in New York City and the Green Thumb municipality program; the Main Verte shared gardens program (jardins partagés) of the municipality of Paris (France); and the public program of «social » allotments for elderly people of the municipality of Bologna (Italy), recently reformed in order to open the policy to all citizens and generations. The aim is to analyse challenges, opportunities and problems for urban public policies interested in a dialogue with grassroots practices in collective and critical gardening.