Community
greens go by many names and serve many purposes in the
lives of those who live around them. We sought out these
hidden gems and talked with residents, designers, and developers
to discover what makes these community greens vibrant
spaces that inspire the devotion of young and old.
Boston,
MA
On summer evenings, the glow of candlelight illuminates the lush plantings of Montgomery Park. Montgomery Park is a third of an acre backyard shared by 85 households in Boston’s South End neighborhood. This community green has become the heart of a diverse community of neighbors who have grown to be “the best of friends.” Here, they garden together, maintaining several large perennial borders, a dozen trees, walkways, and a lawn. Families and neighbors gather here to play, lounge, and dine. From the 1860s, when the block was originally developed, until the 1970s, the park was separated from the residents’ backyards by an alley and fence. Over the years, the residents have worked to connect the park to their yards by covering the alley with a narrower brick walkway, tearing down the fence separating them from the garden, persuading the utility companies to bury their lines, and shifting garbage pick-up to the fronts of their homes. Through their efforts, residents of Montgomery Park now have easy access to a green oasis in the midst of an otherwise dense urban neighborhood.
See the entire Montgomery Park profile.
Montgomery
Park A mounted policeman previews stops on the
South End Garden Tour, 1996
Stoney
Creek Apartments Award-winning
Affordable Housing
Photography by: Jay Graham
Livermore,
CA
Stoney Creek Apartments draws both would be residents and design critics. Built in 1993 in Livermore, California to address a need for affordable housing, the cheerful red and white exteriors of the flats and townhomes catch the eyes of passersby. The homes’ orientation around interconnected courtyards dotted with flowering trees invites a stroll around the property. With the help of front and back patios and shared courtyards, neighbors often linger outside, chatting and enjoying the California weather. The orientation of patios facing the courtyards allows parents to keep an eye on their children as they play, which gives parents more flexibility and children independence and an opportunity to explore.
A few homeowners in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore have discovered that they can enjoy all the amenities of city living without the usual anonymity and lack of green space. Hidden behind eleven narrow rowhouses, Chandler’s Yard is a tree-shaded courtyard that was carved out of the backyards of the surrounding homes by developer Bill Struever who wanted to make living on the block more attractive to potential buyers of those homes. Here, the neighbors of Chandlers Yard are assured a pleasant green view from their homes and private yards. It is a quiet place, perfect for reading the morning paper and enjoying a cup of coffee. It is also a crossroads, where neighbors sometimes stop and talk about their day, or catch up on each others’ news.
See the entire Chandlers Yard profile.
Chandlers
Yard A
secret garden in Baltimore's Federal Hill district
Village
Homes
Davis,
CA
Within
the urban environment of Davis, California, Judy
and Michael Corbett dreamed of living among green
spaces, of houses nestled among fruit orchards,
vegetable gardens, creeks, and streams. Inspired
by Michael's memories of his childhood spent playing
on the grassy banks of a creek near his home they
set out to emulate a similar serene environment
where their own children could grow up. The
Corbetts designed and developed Village Homes, a
unique urban neighborhood located on a sixty-acre
infill property in westernmost Davis, California.
While home lots are smaller than the average lot
in Davis, houses are grouped around green spaces
they share with their neighbors. In addition, the
residents share two large parks, two vineyards,
and numerous small orchards and community gardens.
Clusters of eight homes share a common green space
they access from their own private backyards.
For nearly nine decades, the historic neighborhood of
Jackson Heights in Queens has maintained its fourteen block-long shared interior courtyards. These spaces have
helped to sustain the blocks’ distinctive appeal since their development in the early decades of the last century.
Over the years, Jackson Heights residents fought to hold on to their oases of grass, trees, and gardens in the midst
of a city where high property values create an intense pressure to develop any available open space. As a result of their
loyalty to the original plan of Jackson Heights, residents of the community are blessed with green courts that, according to
resident Daniel Karatzas (author of Jackson Heights: a Garden in the City), "really give people a sense of pride and a sense of
history."
Residents describe St. Francis Square as a peaceful
refuge amidst the busy city of San Francisco. "Here,"
one resident said, "its possible to come home from
work, sit down on my balcony, and look out on a
huge mountain black pine, listen to the birds that
sing from its branches, and feel as though I'm a
million miles from the city." A
cooperative apartment community, St. Francis Square
consists of 299 family-sized apartments in three-story,
walk-up buildings that wrap around three shared,
open squares. Each has a personality of its own.
Residents each have a balcony at the back of their
apartment, except for the first-floor residents
whose back doors open onto private patios. The interiors
of the apartments are oriented to the open space;
large windows in the living rooms look out on the
courtyards, and bring a little of their enchantment
indoors. Even the fences that divide private patios
from the shared squares do not block the magic of
that outdoor space from penetrating the interiors.
This also makes it possible to see children playing
in every inch of the property, so that they can
be easily supervised.
You
wouldn't believe the changes this place has seen.
Fifteen years ago this part of the city was one
of the worst spots in Minneapolis, a city block
devastated by years of urban flight and drug wars.
The difference today is startling. Behind nine rehabilitated
houses there are community areas, a playground,
and resident gardens. Property values are on the
rise and residents' hopes for a stable community
that will provide a nurturing environment for children
and adults alike are being realized.
Instrumental
to the recent turnaround is a local community development
corporation (CDC), Hope Community, Inc. The organization's
intention was to create affordable rental units
that would engender stability and community to combat
the rampant problems of the neighborhood.To achieve
this end, they purchased houses in proximity to
one another on a single block and began rehabilitating
and renting them.
