Ideas for community gardens
As a strata manager, whether you are managing a commercial workplace or residential complex, the people occupying your property are in your best interest.
This is because you make decisions to improve the value and sustainability of your strata.
Choosing to establish a community garden in a strata complex is an exceptional way to inspire a sense of health and community.
With hundreds of features and configurations to choose from, your strata complex will be a captivating community hub.
How a community garden benefits your strata
Keeping all your residents satisfied and looking after the welfare of your property can seem challenging at times. By building a community garden, you are creating an environment that is positive and engaging for everyone.
Community gardens encourage people to gain practical skills and learn more about each other. It also promotes healthy social interaction all the while constructing a deep sense of unity.
According to Grow Journey, having a garden in your strata can improve your investment return, increase the value of your property, reduce energy waste and improve the physical and mental health of the residents.
Community gardens do more than just provide aesthetic comfort. They help improve the air and soil quality, preserve the environment and biodiversity of plants and conductively reduce the impact of waste by composting.
Poor nutrition may be a commonly faced challenge in a low-income community. Therefore, community gardens positioned in such a neighbourhood promote a healthy lifestyle and act to reduce poor nutrition habits.
Gardens in urban areas are positively correlated with decreased crime rates, says Greenleaf Communities.
Alongside reduced crime rates, having community gardens in strata in urban areas advocate environmental education and welfare further.
Knowledge acquired when learning about nature and the environment in residential or commercial strata can be taken home or to businesses and schools, thus improving the education system in Sydney.
As one of the leading strata management companies in Sydney, we encourage community gardens as we understand that building community gardens can improve the development and well-being of the greater local community.
Variations in community gardens for residential, commercial and community strata
There are substantial differences when catering to residential, commercial or community strata. A communal garden can have varying impacts on the strata and surrounding community.
There are a variety of types of garden development to choose from, including plot gardens, cooperative gardens, youth gardens, entrepreneurial market gardens and therapeutic gardens. Each of these serve a different purpose and are comprised of assorted elements.
- Plot and therapeutic gardens
This type is ideal for residential strata. One way to build a plot garden is to subdivide the area into designated sections for households where they have autonomy on what to grow and cultivate.
Therapeutic gardens would be optimised intentionally for aesthetic purposes. You could grow plants that encourage the use of senses, such as “smell gardens”. For exotic flora and fauna, you can promote relaxation and mental health.
- Cooperative and therapeutic gardens
Cooperative and therapeutic gardens are excellent configurations for commercial strata. They focus on the community and the individual respectively.
Building and cultivating a cooperative garden in commercial strata endorses teamwork, hobbies, education and giving back to the community.
These gardens are usually sponsored and supported by organisations such as faith groups, health departments, private businesses, retirement communities, community service and much more.
Therapeutic gardens placed in commercial strata improve the mental health of the workers who occupy the building. They do this by providing a quiet, natural, green space for meal breaks.
- Youth and entrepreneurial gardens
These are perfect styles of communal gardens for community strata management to implement.
Youth gardens focus on education and development and serve as outdoor classrooms. Hands-on application and immersion in nature teach the youth about horticulture and applicable life skills from a young age.
Exposure to the outdoor environment and diversity in nature equip the current youth generation with knowledge and healthy mindsets to set up our future society to succeed.
Entrepreneurial gardens create a place for young and old to learn about the business world and pragmatically prepare themselves to step into these new environments.
You could encourage growing vegetables and herbs in slightly larger quantities to sell off to local supermarkets, making profits and supporting local businesses and organically sourced foods.
How to build and maintain a cohesive community garden
The first step when starting your community garden project as a strata manager is to decide on the location of your garden site.
Things like clean water sourcing, healthy soil, air and sunlight are environmental factors to consider.
Be sure to enquire with the landowner about any legal issues and bylaws when starting up such an initiative. You would also need to find a sponsor or source of financial support.
Secondly, you need to organise the garden. Ask yourself questions like, “What are the financial consideration for this project?”, “What would be the limitations for terminating the initiative? (vandalism, weeds, lack of participation)”.
Afterwards, you can begin promoting the community garden initiative through local marketing vessels. This helps raise awareness within the occupants of your strata complex.
Lastly, the development of your garden will take place. Be ready to plot and plan to features such as pools, water fountains, landscaping, garden sections, seating areas, BBQ areas, bathrooms and any other amenities you would require.
You also need to consider what rules and regulations to post around your community garden to maintain a clean and safe environment. Always make sure these rules comply with local laws and guidelines as well.
You could appoint community garden managers to oversee the usage and upkeep of the garden each week. Consider hiring a groundkeeper to assist your residents or occupants in keeping the new community space, clean.
The garden management team or groundkeeper can resolve any minor issues with the vegetation and communal area.
Many strata companies in Sydney are building community gardens to increase the value of land and health of the local community.
At Strata & Co., we provide professional and responsive management with personalised service to better your strata and ultimately provide good service to the community.
To learn more about our strata services and who we service, give us a call on 1300 033 947.
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