August 2011
The opportunities and constraints on community gardening, as a catalyst for urban quality of life, in Dublin.
By: Robert Moss. B.Sc.
This dissertation investigates the perceived contribution of community gardening toward quality of life, within urban Dublin. It also studies the issues acting upon community gardening, both positive and negative within that city. Using semi structured interviews, and desktop research the attitudes that exist amongst the local authorities, and participants who are involved in community gardening are examined. Also examined is the policy and practice applied towards community gardening by local authority. A further set of factors being examined are the wider issues that impact on community gardening in Dublin. These are demographic, political, cultural, and geographic considerations. Another method of research, which is that of a public survey into the perceived contribution towards quality of life, by community gardening, is also studied. This utilises a research technique delivering an element of quantitative data, to allow a degree of triangulation between the qualitative data derived from the semi structured interviews. This lends validity to the research by highlighting areas of commonality, and discrepancy, between the findings of the two methods of data collection. A key aim of this dissertation is to derive a set of recommendations to direct future policy and practice towards community gardening in Dublin.