Eviction from paradise: Lived experience, psycho-social and health effects of allotment garden loss

Abstract

This mixed-methods paper examines the experience and effects of the loss of an allotment garden among gardeners in Zurich, Switzerland. The paper explores the subjective experience of garden loss using qualitative material gathered in field conversations with gardeners from an allotment area which was soon to be cleared for construction. In parallel, gardeners from the same area were surveyed before (2018) and after (2019) the clearance, thus constructing a natural experiment to measure effects on gardeners’ social networks, social support and general and mental health.The analysis of the qualitative material shows the (imminent) loss of the garden was a distressing experience for most participants, a result which is strongly supported by the descriptive analysis of several survey questions. Analysis of the quantitative data with ANCOVA models gives support to a negative effect of garden loss on the number of social contacts and on emotional well-being, but not on other factors.The experience of garden loss shows strong parallels to that of loss of a home, but also differs from it in relevant ways. Improved designs of similar natural experiments could lead to more reliable results. These would, however, require researchers to observe planning processes from a very early stage.