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Community gardens for well-being Exploring the link between Community Gardens and Well-being at the neighborhood scale at Overijssel province, the Netherlands
NaeimiDarestani, Sahar (2025) Community gardens for well-being Exploring the link between Community Gardens and Well-being at the neighborhood scale at Overijssel province, the Netherlands.
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| Abstract: | Community gardens offer numerous benefits, including improved health, social cohesion, and urban sustainability. While previous research has largely emphasized individual-level outcomes and user experiences, little is known about how these gardens relate to neighborhood-scale well-being indicators and whether their spatial distribution serves communities with the potential need. To address this gap, this study explores the spatial associations between community gardens and neighborhood-level well-being in Overijssel, the Netherlands. Three primary objectives structured the research. First, spatial characteristics reflecting gardens’ social and ecological functions were selected based on a literature review and available spatial data. Garden size, size per capita, vegetation health (NDVI), public transport accessibility, walking and cycling accessibility, and garden location are the selected qualities. Patterns were mapped using kernel density and spatial autocorrelation analyses, revealing that gardens are predominantly situated in rural neighborhoods and densely populated municipalities, particularly Zwolle and Steenwijkerland. Second, neighborhood-level well-being indicators were compiled from reliable statistical sources, resulting in 27 measurable variables, to operationalize the Statistics Netherlands well-being framework. Hotspot analyses and comparative statistics highlighted significant urban-rural differences, with rural areas consistently displaying better overall well-being. Further statistical analysis found rural neighborhoods with community gardens exhibit notably higher resilience, social cohesion, and physical activity levels than those without. T his spatial distribution of gardens suggests that they tend to be located in areas already characterized by higher well-being, indicating that neighborhoods with potentially greater needs and lower well-being indicators may be underserved by existing community gardens. Third, associations between garden qualities and neighborhood well-being were examined using Kendall’s rank correlation and Local Bivariate Relationship analysis in urban neighborhoods. Results indicated some statistically significant relationships, for instance, larger garden sizes per capita correlated positively with neighborhood resilience and social cohesion and negatively with stress. Spatial visualization showed that these associations were often spatially uneven. Additionally, low well-being neighborhoods that host low-quality community gardens were identified. Benchmarks and past literature were used to give suggestions on how to improve these gardens' qualities, to potentially improve the neighborhoods' well-being. While causal relationships could not be established from this research, the study provides a replicable framework for integrating spatial and statistical methods to inform equitable community garden placement and design. It also highlights important avenues for future research, emphasizing the need for detailed qualitative data, individual-level information, and longitudinal studies. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation |
| Subject: | 43 environmental science, 70 social sciences in general, 74 (human) geography, cartography, town and country planning, demography |
| Programme: | Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation MSc (75014) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107426 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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