Reading · Summer 2026 Reading from MIT

Arts, design, architecture & planning

Tiny Gardens Everywhere: The Past, Present, and Future of the Self-Provisioning City

By Kate Brown, the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in History of Science

W.W. Norton · 2026

Nurturing health, hope, and community, gardeners in cities and suburbs are reclaiming lost commons, transforming vacant lots into vibrant plots, turning waste into compost, and recreating what was once the most productive agriculture in recorded human history. In a book with global scope, ranging from Estonia to Amsterdam and Washington, Brown contends that urban gardening has many positive spillover effects, from health and environmental benefits to community-building, apart from periods of pushback when others are trying to eliminate it.

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From Summer 2026 recommended reading from MIT (MIT News).

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