Creating Community Gardens for People of All Ages — a 32-page publication by AARP Livable Communities with 8 80 Cities — can help elected officials, government staff, nonprofit organizations and neighbors in all sorts of places build and sustain community gardens as inclusive, intergenerational outdoor spaces.

The publication includes a local example from the Urban Farming Institute in Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester. Their “Grow Box Initiative” was funded through a previous AARP Community Challenge Grant.

A community garden can improve the health of residents, foster economic development, combat social isolation, relieve food insecurity, improve public safety, encourage inclusion and enhance community connectedness.

By encouraging physical activity, civic engagement and socializing, community gardens support healthy aging and help foster resiliency for people and places.

Community gardens can also help revitalize neighborhoods and incentivize the development of more walkable and transit-oriented places.

This publication explains the value of community gardens, provides guidance about starting and sustaining such gardens, and shares examples and suggestions for related public policies and programs.