Summer Reading: Tiny Gardens Everywhere (Main)
Uncover the radical roots of urban gardening with Kate Brown, author of Tiny Gardens Everywhere (2026).
The history of gardening in European and North American cities in the 20th century is a story about ordinary people working with each other—and with plants and microbes—to cultivate life in the unlikeliest of places. Using the deluge of nutrients that flow into cities, working class gardeners regenerated wasteland, built the first garden city communities, and engaged in the most productive agriculture in recorded human history. Following the plants and microbes, urban gardeners also built mutual aid societies that advocated for equity, social welfare, and rights—rights not to liberty and the pursuit of happiness (who can eat that?) but to food, fuel, and shelter; to well-being for all.
Kate Brown is the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science at MIT. Her prize-winning books include Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future (2019), Plutopia: Nuclear Families in Atomic Cities and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters (2013), and A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland (2004).
Presented in partnership with City of Cambridge Community Garden Program.
Leading Priority and Key Areas of Focus
Affordable housing has long been a top priority for Cambridge, starting with the City Council. In support of this, the City commits substantial resources and works diligently to address affordable housing needs in the community.
Farm Girl on the Front Lines: Deborah Sampson’s Secret
Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts Revolutionary War heroine, disguised herself as a man and served in the Revolutionary War under the name Robert Shurtliff. She was also perhaps the first woman to lecture professionally in the United States.
September Traffic Impacts
The City of Cambridge is notifying residents, businesses, and visitors of upcoming street closures, construction, and traffic impacts in late August and early September for back-to-school, the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and two other community events.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.
Walking Group for Older Adults
Join us for our Walking Group series, a guided set of weekly walks designed to encourage movement, connection, and exploration.