Can anyone clarify where things stand on the proposal below (nb the large
number of community gardens on the Lower East Side)?
Niock Blomley


On April 24, 1998 Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered the
         cancellation of all the leases on 741 GreenThumb community
         gardens in all five NYC boroughs --he then requested transfer
         of the land to the department of Housing,Preservation
         andDevelopment (HPD), according to a fax memorandum
         issued by HPD. This mandate immediately threatens almost all
         of the nearly 800 community gardens citywide with
         destruction for development plans. The City Land Committee
         may approve the transfer as soon as May 8th.

         The Mayor is trying to destroy over 90 acres -and perhaps as
         high as 200 acres - of green space, an area two to four times
         as large as the 52 acre Brooklyn Botanical Garden. As half of
         the 776 gardens were already targeted for development in
         Mayor's mandate of 1996, the new mandate now targets every
         garden throughout New York City! This leaves only a handful
         of non-Green Thumb gardens and the 32 community gardens
         which have either been transferred into parks already or
         purchased by land trusts. The immediate transfer of 741
         gardens to HPD for housing and commercial development is
         an outrage, when there are 14,000 truly vacant lots that can be
         used for housing without targeting the gardens. There are
         30,000 community gardeners in New York City and 1/2
         million residents who directly benefit and use the gardens. It
         makes little sense to destroy the efforts of New York City's
         community minded volunteers who transformed the City's
         neglect that left a wasteland in the 1970's, into thriving oases
         of nature, culture, and positive community life!

         The City has failed to acknowledge after 20 years, that these
         gardens have become more than temporary use of vacant land.
         These gardens have transformed neighborhoods riddled with
         abandoned buildings and neglected rubble-strewn vacant lots
         that had become dens of crime, drugs, and toxic waste. People
         worked together out of their own volunteer initiative to
         improve their neighborhood, planting trees, flowers and
         vegetable gardens. Over the past quarter of a century these
         gardens have also grown into more than needed green open
         space, they have become living multi-cultural community
         centers bringing people from diverse backgrounds together in
         neighborhoods that are often divided racially and culturally.
         As the City slashes the budget for social services and cultural
         programs, these gardens are providing millions of dollars
         worth of services free of cost to the city.
         IMPORTANT GARDEN EMERGENCY EVENTS
         TO ATTEND:

         Monday May 4,
         RALLY PRESS CONFERENCE
         11:30 am City Hall Steps called by Council Member Tom
         Duane

         Mon, May 4, 8:30 PM.
         Garden Crisis Coverage, Manhattan Cable Channel 34,
         Treebranch-on-Air.

         Wednesday May 6, 6-8pm
         RALLY- Giuliani attending awards ceremony event City
         Museum of New York, 103rd and Fifth

         Friday May 8, 6-8pm
         Leica Gallery, 670 Broadway
         Gallery opening of Mayor Giuliani's favorite photos of New
         York City. Bring photos/signs of your gardens!!!

         Sunday May 24, 10am-6pm
         8th Annual Rites of Spring: Procession to Save Our Gardens,
         Lower East Side, NYC starts: 10am Forsyth Street Garden
         Club (Forsyth bet. Broome and Delancy) Call (212) 777-7969
         to volunteer and for complete route and schedule

         WRITE * CALL* FAX * YOUR LOCAL AND CITY
         ELECTED OFFICIALS
         Letters in support of the NYC community gardens should be
         sent to:

         PLEASE ALSO SEND/FAX COPIES OF LETTERS
         TO:
         New York City Coalition for the Preservation of Gardens
         638 East Sixth Street, 3rd floor
         New York, NY 10009
         Tel: (212) 777-7969
         Fax: (212) 505-7303

         KEY CITY-WIDE OFFICIALS:
         MAYOR RUDOLPH GIULIANI
         City Hall
         New York, NY 10007
         T: 212/788-3000
         Fax: 212/406-3587

         DEPUTY MAYOR RANDY MASTRO
         T: (212) 788-3137
         Fax (212) 788-3142

         Hon Richard T. Roberts
         Commissioner Housing Preservation and Development
         100 Gold Street
         New York, NY 10038
         T: 212/863-6100
         Fax (212) 267-2565

         Ms. Mary Bolton
         Commissioner of Planning and Policy,
         Housing Preservation & Development
         100 Gold Street,
         New York, NY 10038
         T: 212/863-8492
         Fax: 212/863-8504

         Mr. Peter Vallone
         City Council, Speaker
         250 Broadway,
         New York, NY 10007
         T: 212/788-7210
         Fax: 212/788-7207

http://www.users.interport.net/~earthcel/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N i c k B l o m l e y

Associate Professor
Department of Geography
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6,
CANADA

(604) 291-3713 (tel)
(604) 291-5841 (fax)
[log in to unmask] (email)

'Hostility to theory usually means an opposition to other people's theories
and an oblivion to one's own' (Terry Eagleton, 1983)




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