Culture in for and as Sustainable Development

There are obstacles. The occupation of public
space can create tensions between contrasting
perspectives and varied societal
claims on how best to use the public space.
Furthermore, because it brings into question
models of society and economy based
on private property and profit-led economic
development, the possibility of integrating
its perspectives into public policies is limited.
Finally, whilst most guerrilla gardening
initiatives have started as self-governance,
with participatory approaches (radical civic
engagement) and a marked tendency
towards horizontal decision processes, in
some cases gardens or growing yards have
been institutionalised and are now promoted
by governments and local municipalities,
leading to a change in the existing policy
models.
Some key lessons can be learned. Guerrilla
gardening has already developed a rich cultural
pattern that alters meanings of common
space, self-identity, or even language,
encouraging a new political perspective and
approach. It proposes not only an alternative
economic model, but alternative models
of sustainable development more generally
which question private property and
promote the common use of public space. In
a cultural perspective, guerrilla gardening
leads to the de-institutionalisation and the
re-institutionalisation of existing routines
and ways of doing things. This is a precondition
for change, as without impetus from
inside, change would not happen.
57
Growing food along a disused railway; Pictures: Emeline Eudes