Pegasus Garden
Lansing, Michigan
A formerly vacant lot is now the home of Pegasus Garden, a communal garden and gathering space for neighbors in the Prospect PLACE neighborhood on the East Side of Lansing, Michigan.
After the city demolished a home, the resulting vacant lot attracted illegal drug activity to the area. Jennifer Grau, a Prospect PLACE neighborhood resident, said “Neighbors wanted to create a colorful space for gathering and gardening that would signal to those who live here and those passing by that we live in a connected, vibrant, and caring community.” A neighbor with an adjacent home acquired the lot to serve as that safe space for the community.
Pegasus Garden features a free book library and a tool shed where neighbors can borrow tools. It also serves as a communal space for campfires, potlucks, neighborhood meetings, youth activities, and free community concerts. Most importantly, the garden grows and provides fresh produce for the neighborhood. It even features raised beds to make gardening accessible for neighbors in wheelchairs.
The garden is communal by design; there are no individual plots. Anyone can plant, weed, water, or share in the harvest. The garden feeds those who tend to the garden and neighbors who do not have a garden of their own.
Property Type: Residential Lot (no structure)
Project Type/ New Use: Event(s)
Project Purpose: Build community; Improve safety; Provide food access
Duration: Permanent
Initial Cost: Under $10,000
Funding Source: Unknown
Organization Type: Community Leader
Implementation Partners: Block Club
City: Lansing
State: Michigan
Community Type: Urban
Project Website: Prospect PLACE Neighbors >
Social: Facebook >
Project Photos
Last updated: October 2021 – Do you have additional information about this project? Please use the share your placemaking project form » to share that information.
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