Labor,Work,and Action in Polish Community Gardens: Interlaced or Disconnected?

Widely considered a socio-ecological innovation, the community garden may appear a model for better human-environment relations. This article draws attention to the work needed to grow a garden and applies Hannah Arendt’s framework to demonstrate that labor, work, and action are predominantly disconnected in Polish community gardens. Their separation prevents most community gardens from becoming vehicles of urban sustainability. Yet they have an innovative potential for the sociocultural and political domains. They act as sites of Europeanization in Polish cities that mark the break with the communist past in urban public space. As a new type of public place, they may bring work to public debate on sustainability.