The Bronx Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that embraces a family of 18 gardens established by gardeners to support and sustain community gardening throughout the Bronx. Our collective mission is to preserve, improve, and promote community managed open spaces for the benefit of all.
What is an Urban Land Trust?
Urban land trusts protect rare and precious open space in America’s cities—forever. UGC’s Bronx and Manhattan Land Trusts maintain community-owned green spaces in neighborhoods where there are few city parks or other open land. The 32 community gardens offer a place for neighborhood residents to grow vegetables and flowers, serve as community gathering spaces, provide safe areas for children to play, offer gardening and nutrition workshops, and host neighborhood celebrations such as holiday barbecues and harvest festivals. Deed restrictions guarantee that they will remain undeveloped and in community hands forever.
Our History
All of our gardens were slated for sale by the city in 1999, which would have led to their certain demolition. Today these 18 vibrant, thriving gardens are owned and managed by the Bronx Land Trust.
The Bronx Land Trust is a nonprofit organization established by gardeners to support and sustain community gardening throughout the Bronx. Our mission is to preserve, improve, and promote community managed open spaces for the benefit of all.
Moving Forward
Urban Gardens Connections, the Bronx Land Trust and Manhattan Land Trust believe that NYC’s neighborhoods should be healthy and safe places to live, where residents have the ability to grow their own food and maintain green spaces where they can relax, play, and celebrate. The challenge facing us is becoming sustainable nonprofit organizations, with effective governance and the ability to raise funds for operations and special projects so that the gardens grow and thrive forever.