Between April and May 2026, the Austrian field study of Gardeniser Community took place across 11 community gardens in Vienna.
Together with around 14 students from BOKU University, Gartenpolylog carried out 334 interviews with gardeners and non-gardeners. The aim was to take a closer look at the social and personal impacts associated with participation in community gardens and to compare the experiences of people involved in gardens with those who are not.
The study involved the following community gardens:
Kinogarten
11erGarten
Sonnwendgarten
Nachbarschaftsgarten Arenbergpark
Laaerbergbauer:innen
Bildungsgarten Kranzgasse
Albertgarten
Garten Helene
Wilde Rauke
Nachbarschaftsgarten Samba
Nachbarschaftsgarten Hugo Wolf Park
The interviews build on the earlier Participatory Pathways, in which community gardeners themselves helped identify the areas in which gardens can have an impact. The field study now adds another layer by gathering comparable data from gardeners and non-gardeners.
The data collected in Vienna, together with the studies carried out in Rome and Pau, is currently being analysed. The results will feed into the next major step of Gardeniser Community: the development of the Community Impact Tracer, a tool designed to help community gardens better understand, reflect on and communicate their impact.
Gardeniser Community is a European Erasmus+ Adult Education project involving partners in Italy, France and Austria and aims to strengthen community gardens as spaces for learning and active citizenship.
Because a garden is more than a green space – it is a community that grows.
