ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the group that produces community gardens: its formation, its boundaries, and most importantly the social visions and goals that the group develops, adopts, and adheres to. It specifically discusses the contributors and challenges that are present in the processes whereby a collective takes shape and place. These are processes and forces that are integral to the formation of the collective as a group, solidified by shared identity and goals. Then the structure of the collective is examined and its three structural units-garden groups, neighborhood coalitions, and New York City gardeners-are presented. The first unit, the garden group, is given the most attention as the main building block of the collective. The meaning and essence of the collective are dissected from various perspectives of gardeners, activists, and representatives of organizations; and the many negotiations on and challenges to the structure of the group are brought forward. The last segment-the infrastructure-reiterates the significance of space as the arena and breeding ground on which a formation of the essential organs of a collective can be developed.
