Edible Schoolyard: Community uses of a pioneering school garden space in Berkeley
CP241: Reseach Methods in Environmental Design
Final Report December 2024
This report has been prepared as part of the CP241: Reseach Methods in Environmental Design course in Fall 2024. It is a product of graduate students in UC Berkeley and it is a pre-arranged and community-engaged project with Edible Schoolyard, Martin Luther King Middle School, (Berkeley).
Prepared by Department
Styliani Kalomoira (Stela) Kontogianni
Vermouth Li
Master of Urban Design
Master of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Weiheng Li Master Urban Design
Edible Schoolyard Berkeley (ESY) 12/20/2024
executive summary
The Edible Schoolyard (ESY) is a pioneering experiential learning program founded by chef and food activist Alice Waters (Chez Panisse) in the 1990s. Situated at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, this 1-acre garden serves as an educational space to teach middle school students about food systems, ecosystems, and environmental stewardship. The garden features diverse facilities, including a chicken coop, fruit trees, vegetable beds, and spaces for teaching, relaxation, and gathering.
Although primarily designed for school use, ESY is the largest and only school garden in the area open to the public during nonschool hours (Friday after 6pm to weekends). Public activities range from community events and picnics to dog walking and foraging, encompassing both compatible and incompatible uses. While many align with ESY’s mission, conflicts occasionally arise due to overuse or misuse. Additionally, ESY lacks comprehensive data on how the garden impacts off-hour users, limiting its ability to evaluate and optimize its role as a community resource.
To address this, ESY partnered with UC Berkeley for a semester-long research project during Fall 2024. The project aims to assess community use of the garden to better understand:
- How is garden used, by whom, and when?
- How ESY might adapt its design, signage, or programming to reduce incompatible uses and encourage compatible uses?
- Opportunities for ESY to serve as a more robust community resource.
- Ways ESY can convey the garden’s broader community benefits to foster partnerships and support.
This report is structured into five (5) sections:
Section 1. Introduction
Offers an overview of the study area, surrounding context, and a detailed site analysis of the garden’ key features, setting the scene for the following analysis and findings.
Section 2. Research Design and Methods
Outlines our research question, hypothesis, and research methods used throughout the research project.
Section 3. Findings + Discoveries
Presents findings organized by key themes, including activities, user types, focal points, routes, and conflicts.
Section 4. Recommendations + Future Research
Provides a set of key recommendations and suggestions with findings explained accordingly.
Section 5. Appendices includes appendices of research tools, templates, and datasets for our partner ESY’s potential use if they wish to continue the research project.
introduction 1
1. introduction
This section introduces the study area and offers an analysis of the surrounding context to get an understanding of the neighborhood, the facilities, green infrastructure, as well as information regarding ethnicity and age distribution. This analysis will help set the scene for the following sections.
1.1 Location & Demographics
Age Group
Ethnicity Distribution
Edible Schoolyard
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School
1.2 context analysis
The red circle represents an one-mile radius, determined based on community feedback as a reasonable distance from the garden. By overlapping this range with walking and driving distances, it highlights the areas from which people are most likely to access the ESY.
Parks: There is a number of parks within the one-mile radius, all located within relatively equal distance from each other. This shows that the importance of the garden for the surrounding community as a green asset.
Thousand Oaks Tot Park
Indian Rock Park
Codornices Park
Live Oak Park
King School Park
Ceder Rose Park
Virginia-McGee Totland
Ohlone Park
Jewel’s Terrace Park
Grocery/Markets: This diagram highlights markets and grocery stores within the same range, indicating some possible movement patterns through the garden as part of people’s daily activities.
Safeway Smart Market
Joe’s
Sprouts Farmers Market
Andronico’s Community Market
Public institution/ facility. The public facilities surrounding the Edible Schoolyard represent valuable opportunities for partnership. These facilities can collaborate with ESY to enhance educational programs, support community engagement, and promote shared use of resources.
Overall, the ESY is surrounded by a good network of parks, markets, and public facilities that could potentially enhance its connection to the community and strengthen its role as a community hub.
Public Library - North Branch School of the
1.2 Site Analysis
Path width mapping: This map illustrates the variation in path widths throughout the garden, ranging from narrow (light red) to wide (dark red). Path widths can influence people’s decisions on preferred paths and routes in the garden. By overlaying this map with activity patterns, we aim to uncover deeper connections between path design and user behavior.
Note: Please see Section 3 for details on findings.
Types of signage: There are three types of signage in the Edible Schoolyard: gate signs, bulletin boards, and smaller signs located in the fields or with plants. Each one serves a different purpose. These signages are integral to our survey and will set the basis for recommendations later. Note: Please see Section 4 for details on signage recommendations.
1. Signage on gates with rules & open hours
2. Small signs in fields with plant names
3. Bullentin boards with garden values
Signage on Gate
Small Signs in Fields Bullentin Boards
Types of furniture. There is small selection of furniture in the garden. This map illustrates the arrangement of tables, benches, and chairs, highlighting areas where visitors can rest or enjoy a picnic. These features will also set the basis for recommendations later. Note: Please see Section 4 for details on furniture recommendations.
Table covered by iron mesh to place the petri dishes
Longtable used for education by students and picnic table by visitors
Bench under oak Bench with back
Table Chair/Bench
Space + capacity: There is a variety of spaces in the garden, high and low capacity, which allow for bigger or smaller gatherings. The lines in this diagram represent the capacity of different spaces. For example, a 4-foot-wide path can only accommodate limited movement, resulting in low capacity. In contrast, the area beneath a grandmother oak tree can support various activities, offering high spatial capacity. This analysis can offer better insight for people’s preferences and types and locations of activities that take place in the garden.
High capcity Low capcity
research design + methods 2
2.1 research Design
According to ESY’s brief, their main need is to ‘assess community uses of the garden space to better understand: How the garden is used, by whom, and when. How ESY might better change the gardens design, signage, or other features to reduce incompatible uses and encourage compatible community uses. What opportunities exist for ESY to serve as a more robust resource for community members? How can ESY tell a more complete story about the full range of community benefits from this public space, which in turn may enable more expansive partnerships and support?’. Thus, the research question, hypothesis and research methods have been drafted in a way that aims to answer the above questions set by ESY.
Research question
What are the patterns of use of ESY during non-school hours, and how can they inform (design and programming) improvements to promote compatible uses and reduce conflicts?
Hypothesis
By categorizing user patterns/types into different groups, analyzing their temporality and spatiality relationships, we can better understand existing compatible/incompatible uses and conflicts at ESY.
Targeted improvements in design, signage, and programming can be implemented to help mitigate conflicts and encourage compatible uses for both the school and public visitors.
2.2 research methods
Research methods
Observations, notes, photo+sketch
Visited the garden weekly at different times to investigate how people use the space, what type of users it attracts, which areas are mostly visited and which are the most busy times of the week. Taking photos, notes and sketching to keep record.
Interviews
Talking to ESY members, volunteers, fellows, teachers, as well as public users to get information about non-school uses and potential conflicts caused by the private/ public status of the garden.
Archival research
Using the existing records from site observations taken by previous volunteers for our archival.
Mapping
Using mapping techniques to spatialize our findings regarding the types of activities, the duration and location, the routes that people take, from which gates they enter/ exit, potential conflicts and key focus points.
Surveys
Exploring people’s views and ideas on activities, community engagement, signage, furniture, issues of overuse and favourite places in the garden.
Experiment
Trying out surveys in a QR code form, in each gate, to test people’s interaction with signage and willingness to take the time to fill out the forms.
findings + discoveries 3
3. findings + discoveries
This section includes all the findings and discoveries from our site observations, interviews with ESY staff, teachers, volunteers, fellow and public users, surveys and experiments. The data is organized and presented as shown in the diagram below:
Outline of this section
visiting patterns
WHO is using the garden?
HOW is the garden being used?
WHERE do these activities take place? WHEN do these activities take place?
user types
Patterns of movement
Duration of activities
Mental mapping
Survey results
conflicts
User needs + behavioral patterns
ESY’s program + schedule
3.1 visiting patterns
This sub-section focuses on findings regarding the visiting patterns and more specifically, WHO is using the garden, WHEN and HOW is the garden being used and WHERE do these activities take place.
i. WHO is visiting the garden?
Based on the graphs below, the garden attracts a diverse range of visitors, including adults, families, elders, and teenagers. This broad demographic engagement highlights its value as a cherished community asset, actively fulfilling its role in serving and connecting people of all age groups.
ii. WHEN do people visit the garden?
Site observations, interviews, and user surveys reveal that the garden experiences its highest visitation on Fridays and weekends, with Saturday being the busiest day. Additionally, afternoons are the most popular time for visiting, although a good number of visitors also prefer mornings.
Survey
Results: When do you usually visit the garden?
iii. WHY and HOW do people use the garden?
This table shows the types of activities taking place in the garden, organized in a colour coded way. The map on the opposite page offers a spatial representation of these activities in the garden as well as the approximate number of people engaging in each one.
Note: For survey results regarding the activities that people typically engage in while at the garden, please go to Appendix xx.
Colour code
Survey Results:
Activities
Walking through
Visiting the garden/ nature appreciation
Taking photos
Playing Dog/cat walking
Observing birds
Observing chicken coop
Dating
Chatting
Having picnic
Library sessions
Unknow activities
Overnight stay
Overharvesting
Field Observation Results:
3.2 user types
Having studied the types of activities taking place in the garden, we then grouped them into three (3) main categories as shown below. Note: For survey results regarding the activities that people typically engage in while at the garden, please go to Appedix xx.
Activities Grouped version of activities
Visiting the garden/ nature appreciation
Taking photos
Dog/cat walking
Observing birds
Observing chicken coop
Dating
Chatting
Having picnic
Playing
Library sessions
Walking through
Overnight stay
Overharvesting
Nature lovers
Social visitors
Public good
Essentially, this grouping defined the key user types of the garden. Based on the table below, each type is represented by almost all age groups.
Activities
Nature lovers
Social visitors
Age groups
Children, families, teenagers, adults, elders
Children, families, teenagers, adults, elders
Public good Teenagers, adults, elders
Nature lovers Social visitors
They mainly visit the garden for relaxation and to observe nature.
Public good
They are drawn to the garden mainly due to its strategic location and accessibility since it is a semi-public good.
These user types are usually found in specific areas within the garden and the amount of time they spend varies depending on the type of the activity they engage in. The following pages will analyse the different user patterns in greater detail. These findings can also draw some assumptions regarding key focus points in the garden.
WHERE are these user types found?
HOW LONG do they stay in the garden?
Nature lovers. They are found throughout the garden, exhibiting varied movement patterns. Most of them gravitate toward the northern areas, such as Grandma Oak, the chicken coop, the space behind the tool shed, and the greenhouse. Others prefer wandering around the vegetable beds and the orange tree. In contrast, the southern side of the garden sees less activity from this group.
Social visitors. They exhibit less movement than nature lovers, primarily gathering at the northern and southern edges of the garden. These areas include the aforementioned spots frequented by nature lovers, along with the ramada and the picnic table, which are the most popular locations for this group.
Public good. This group shows diverse movement patterns similar to those of nature lovers. Many use the garden as a thoroughfare between destinations, making the main path between Berryman and the Front Gate one of the busiest areas. Other frequently used spaces include the area behind the chicken coop and tool shed, the Front Side Gate, and Apple Alley, where much of the harvesting activity takes place.
lovers
Nature
Social visitors
Public good
Mental mapping. As part of the interview/survey process, public users were also asked to draw maps of the garden highlighting personal focus points. They key words drawn by most public users were: paths, bench, ramada, gates, vegetation beds, trees, pizza stove.
Routes. Site observations also helped identifying key routes in the garden that people take for any reason/activity. There is the belief that the ‘Path width’ map, shown in Section 2, partially affects people’s choice of route. Width of the path, feeling of enclosure or openness can play a role in people’s preferences depending on the type of activity too. Larger groups would tend to gather to spaces with higher capacity (as shown in ‘Space + Capacity’ map in Section 2), whilst smaller ones (couples, or people choosing to spend the night there) would usually take place in more enclose space where visibility is limited.
Main routes in the garden
Attraction points
Grandma Oak
Chicken Coop
Greenhouse
Fig tree
Apple Alley
Picnic table
Ramada
Vegetable beds
3.3 conflicts
Based on the user types that this research study has identified, there is a number of conflicts created due to a mismatch between their particular needs and behavioral patterns and ESY’s agenda and program. These conflicts are mainly related to time and space and thus, could be resolved. Note: Please see, Section 4 for specific suggestions on conflicts resolution.
USER
Nature lovers
Social visitors
Stair gate unlocked
Improved furniture
Spread out benches
Signage Wayfinding Guidelines
Signage Wayfinding Guidelines
Gathered furniture to high capacity areas for events
Visiting the garden
Visiting the chicken coop
Chatting Relaxing Dog waste
Some entered during school hours
Occasional trash (Halloween party, B-party, etc)
Gathered by the oak tree
Entering gather during school hours
Infrastructure damage Plants damage
Darts from kids game
Between 20-45 min
Public good Stair gate unlocked
Overnight stay
Overharvesting Trash Human waste
Between 30 min-1h
(Please see 3.2 Attraction points)
Multiple locations
Varies (from 5-10 min to the entire night)
Usually spending time close to the oak tree or Ramada and picnic table
Either using the main path to pass through and/or use the area behind the chicken coop and tool shed or the area behind the picnic table
Conflicts between user types and ESY’s agenda and program. The items highlighted below in red are potential conflicts, for a variety of reasons:
1. Stair gate unlocked. Due to limited staff, having one more gate to monitor during school hours and to lock/unlock during off-school hours is a challenge.
2. Spread out benches. Gathered furniture by the oak tree accommodates library sessions as well as classes during school hours.
5. Entering the garden during school hours. As per school policy for safety reasons, public users can only enter the garden during off-school hours.
4. Trash and dog waste. Maintenance challenge for ESY staff.
3. Damage, overharvesting. Cost of repair and maintenance for ESY staff. overnight stay,
Note: Please see Section 4, for suggestions on how to resolve and mitigate some of these challenges.
USER TYPES USER NEEDS
Stair gate unlocked
Improved furniture
Spread out benches
Nature lovers
Social visitors
Signage Wayfinding Guidelines
Signage
Wayfinding Guidelines
Gathered furniture to high capacity areas for events
BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS
Visiting the garden Visiting the chicken coop Chatting Relaxing Dog waste
Some entered during school hours
Occasional trash (Halloween party, B-party, etc)
Gathered by the oak tree Entering gather during school hours
Infrastructure damage Plants damage Darts from kids game
Overnight stay
(Please see 3.2 Attraction points)
Between 20-45 min Multiple locations
Public good
Stair gate unlocked
Overharvesting Trash
Human waste
Between 30 min-1h
Varies (from 5-10 min to the entire night)
Usually spending time close to the oak tree or Ramada and picnic table
Either using the main path to pass through and/or use the area behind the chicken coop and tool shed or the area behind the picnic table
Mapping the conflicts. This map consolidates the key conflicts identified on the previous page, with larger blobs indicating conflicts that significantly impact the garden’s use as an educational space. Key insights derived from surveys, interviews, and observations are as follows:
Social visitors are more likely to leave trash after events or visits. Additionally, there have been instances of damage to infrastructure and plants. Other findings, such as darts, suggest that children occasionally use the space as a playground. Last but not least, many visitors are unaware of the garden’s opening hours may inadvertently enter during school hours, causing disruptions.
Public use type is linked to the majority of conflicts observed in the garden, including overharvesting and overnight stays. These activities raise concerns about safety and challenge the garden’s ability to function effectively as an educational space.
Problems such as human and dog waste, as well as minor harvesting, do not directly undermine the garden’s educational role. However, they contribute to increased maintenance costs and operational challenges.
Note: Although we have associated each conflict with a specific user type, this does not mean that there is no overlap.
recommendations + future research 4
4. recommendations + future research
Based on our findings, we propose five key recommendations:
1. Sinage Design
2. Gate Access
3. Layout + Furniture
4. Visiting trends + Peak Hours
5. Partnership, Community events & Funding
4.1
signage design
Clarify ESY’s definition.
While the Edible Schoolyard (ESY) is a community garden open to the public during off-hours, its primary purpose is to serve as a school garden. This means that the infrastructure, facilities, and plants are not intended for public use or harvesting. However, our findings indicate that many visitors are unaware of this restriction and do not realize that harvesting is not permitted. This issue could be significantly mitigated by improving the clarity of the garden’s guidelines through better signage, as many visitors either overlook or fail to fully understand the current rules.
To address this, we designed several signage templates/prototypes and propose the following recommendations for the three types of signage identified in the ESY garden:
1. Use less text, more graphics, and larger sizes
Signage should be visually engaging, with minimal text and clear graphics to capture attention. We recommend a minimum size of 11x17 inches (applying to signages at gates and bulletin boards) for better visibility and readability.
2. Make main rules explicit and prioritize open hours
Current signage includes an entire page of volunteer day information, listing specific dates and hours. However, it does not clearly state the garden’s open hours for public access (off-hours/ non-school hours). This omission has caused confusion among visitors, leading to unintended visits during school hours and even occasional overnight stays. To address this, we recommend prioritizing the following guidelines on gate signage:
- ESY open hours
- No-harvesting rule
- No-overnight stay rule
- No-trash rule
Volunteer day information can be moved to a lower-priority location, such as a bulletin board, or provided via a link on the signage for those seeking additional details.
Proposed Template for Signage Posters at Gates: Intro Sect ion
WELCOME!
"This is a school garden, not a community garden."
Thank you for understanding and for suppor ting our commitment to the educational needs of our students
When you visit the garden, please:
Use icons or illustrations of children gardening to visually reinforce the message.
3.
Consider Multi-Language Posters
Based on our demographic research and field observations, there are visitors from diverse racial and linguistic backgrounds. Language barriers and varying levels of literacy could be potential reasons why some visitors do not follow the garden rules. Therefore, we recommend that ESY incorporate multi-language signage, particularly in Spanish and Chinese, to improve accessibility and ensure the rules are clearly communicated to a broader audience.
Proposed Template and Prototype for Small Signage at Fields:
Plant Name
Educational Use
Fun Fac t or Call to Act ion
Bold, Easy to read
Photo/drawing of plant WarningQ R Code
Solanumlycopersicum
Tomatoes are a perfect example to teach about plant life cycles, pollination, and fruit development. Additionally, tomatoes
showcasing their rich vitamin C and antioxidant content.
Did you kn ow that tomatoes were once called "love apples" and were thought to be poisonous in Europe? Today, they’re one of the most popular fruits (yes, botanically a fruit!) worldwide!
4.2 Gate Access
Currently, the Front Entrance Gate (FEG), Berryman Gate (BG), and Front Side Gate (FSG) near the picnic table are unlocked during off-hours, while the Stair Gate (SG) connecting to the blacktop amphitheater remains locked.
From interviews and surveys, people expressed a need for the SG to be unlocked to improve accessibility. Some visitors mentioned during interviews that the SG was previously open and noted that individuals still climb over it to access the area, even though it is currently locked.
Interviews with ESY fellows and staff revealed that the SG is kept locked for several reasons: ease of maintenance, security concerns (as the area is challenging to supervise when students are present), and a preference for maintaining the current accessibility setup.
Based on these findings, we recommend unlocking the Stair Gate (SG) during off-hours if ESY aims to enhance accessibility and foster greater community engagement.
4.3 Layout + Furniture
Interviews with ESY staff and regular visitors revealed that benches were previously scattered throughout the garden, which visitors appreciated as it allowed them to sit and relax in different areas. However, since an event in June 2024, the benches have been moved to the Grandma Oak Tree area, and the layout has remained unchanged. ESY staff noted that teachers prefer the current arrangement for class settings but also expressed interest in increasing furniture and distributing them more widely. Additionally, King School teachers mentioned a desire for more scattered seating as well as shade and rain protection structures. Furthermore, improvements to path widths and potential layout adjustments could enhance user experience and support compatible uses of the space.
As a result, we have following recommendations:
1. Add more benches and redistribute them around the garden. Suggested locations are highlighted in the Need Map below.
2. Design or select unique furniture to deter incompatible uses. For instance, benches with armrests could help discourage overnight sleeping.
3. Adjust or reconstruct current pavement, especially along the pathways. Consider making pathways smoother and wider to improve accessibility. For example, our routing map shows that the entry path near FEG experiences heavy traffic, but its current width is insufficient to accommodate this volume. Prioritizing the widening of this entry path would be particularly beneficial.
4.4 Visiting trends + Peak Hours
Survey results (page 21) indicate that Saturdays see the highest number of weekly visits, with afternoons being the busiest time of day. The chart below shows the days and times of our field observations alongside the number of visits recorded. This data offers insights into when the garden experiences higher foot traffic, which could inform ESY’s future work shifts or time allocations.
Data Considerations:
The Fall Festival on 10/19/24 and a volleyball game on 11/10/24 significantly increased visitor numbers during those times, creating data outliers.
Due to our limited capacity, observation periods were not evenly distributed, resulting in gaps in the data. Some time blocks have no recorded visits. Filling these gaps in future studies would provide a more comprehensive understanding of visitation patterns.
Findings and Recommendations:
Based on the available data (primarily survey results), Saturday and Sunday afternoons and mornings appear to be the busiest times at the garden. These periods may be optimal for ESY staff to be on-site for further research, visitor engagement, or supervision.
Additionally, as this research prooject was limited to one semester, seasonal variations in visitation patterns were not explored. Future research could focus on seasonal trends to better understand how garden use changes throughout the year.
4.5 Partnership, community events & Funding
Based on our context research, site visits, interviews, surveys, and observations during the November 2, 2024, ESY Volunteer Work Day event, we identified potential improvements to enhance ESY’s community impact, foster partnerships, and support fundraising efforts.
1. Establish Effective Feedback Mechanisms
To sustain engagement and build trust, implement structured feedback systems. Sharing post-event summaries and progress updates with participants demonstrates appreciation for their contributions and reinforces their connection to the garden. While informal feedback and data were collected during events, the absence of a structured reporting system limited transparency and accountability. Including visualizations in follow-up emails could further encourage engagement and strengthen participant relationships.
2. Strengthen and Expand Partnerships
Enhancing existing partnerships and seeking new ones can broaden the garden’s reach and resources. Future opportunities could involve thoroughly researching nearby organizations and facilities (page 10) to assess their missions, structures, capacities, and alignment with ESY’s goals. Active outreach is encouraged to attract a more diverse participant base and secure grants for innovative programming. Given funding constraints, ESY might prioritize collaboration with local non-profits to maximize impact.
3. Enhance Community Management Skills
Systematic learning on managing community work is highly recommended. Resources like the Community Tool Box (https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents) offer valuable insights into community event planning, partnership building, and funding strategies. Leveraging such tools can enhance the effectiveness of ESY’s engagement efforts and programming.
5. appendices
Throughout our research, we have employed a systematic data recording approach to maintain clean and organized data, ensuring ease of coding and future reference. Below is a list of the templates and datasets we used, which are included for your reference and potential future use. These documents are packaged with this report PDF in a zip file for your convenience:
Section A: Field Observation Tools and Data
- a1. Quick fill-out routing base map (pdf)
- a2. Quick fill-out field observation template (doc)
- a3. Field observation notes (doc)
- a4. Field observation template and data (spreadsheet)
- a5. Cleaned past volunteers’ field obeservation data (spreadsheet)
Section B: Interviews
- b1. Interview questions (doc)
- b2. Interview notes (doc)
Section C: Edible Schoolyard Public User Survey
- c1. Edible Schoolyard Public User Survey questions (doc)
- c2. Edible Schoolyard Public User Survey template (google form)
- c3. Edible Schoolyard Public User Survey results with email contacts (spreadsheet)
Section D: Educational Use of ESY Garden Survey
- d1. Educational Use of ESY Garden Survey question (doc)
- d2. Educational Use of ESY Garden Survey template (google form)
- d3. Educational Use of ESY Garden Survey results (spreadsheet)
This report has been prepared as part of the CP241: Reseach Methods in Environmental Design course in Fall 2024. It is a product of graduate students in UC Berkeley and it is a pre-arranged and community-engaged project with Edible Schoolyard, Martin Luther King Middle School, (Berkeley) being the community partner.
