A Georgist's Guerilla Gardening Guide

This essay is part of a series on offensive horticulture.

It's weird how everybody suddenly forgot about Henry George:

He inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgism, the belief that people should own the value they produce themselves, but that the economic value of land (including natural resources) should belong equally to all members of society. George famously argued that a single tax on land values would create a more productive and just society.

The US is big. Really, really, really big. Everybody has plenty of space to live and grow food.

In case you missed the memo, all the bitcoin land got distributed before you were born and they're not minting any more of it.

Yet, on that very same land, there exist countless hungry/homeless people, because it is profitable to buy/inherit land and do diddly-squat with it.

Tell them to "shit or get off the plot."

Vacant land is much more expensive than its opportunity cost. Dirt lots cause crime, reduce biodiversity, accelerate desertification, etc. Plus, they're ugly as h*ck.

Every vacant plot could be a home, park, market, garden, farm -- anything is better than that landowner's sloth/greed currently parked there. Honest effort always beats speculation and status-quo.

Consider Ron Finley -- a guerilla gardening folk hero:

The City of Los Angeles owns the “parkways,” the neglected dirt areas next to roads where Ron was planting. He was cited for gardening without a permit.

So Ron fought back. Hard. He started a petition with fellow green activists, demanding the right to garden and grow food in his neighborhood – and then, the city backed off.

Watch Ron's TED talk.

Maybe you, dear reader, feel trapped in an ugly/hostile environment. You aren't crazy, you aren't alone, and you aren't helpless. None of us know what we're doing, but we can still do something. Anyway, please let me know (at [email protected]) if the first-draft of my "green seizure" playbook is helpful/dumb/etc:

1. Meet your neighbors. Learn the names/hobbies/dreams of the fifty humans that live closest to your doorstep.
2. Scour the internet for the names and phone numbers of every single person/org that represents you in government. Paste that list to your refrigerator.
3. If you own dead/brown/unoccupied land, you're an asshole. Even that tiny corner in your backyard is enough to cultivate life. Consider doing one of the following: (1) do more with your backyard/frontyard, (2) sell/donate your surplus land to people who will live there and/or cultivate the soil, (3) ask locals if they have any ideas or want to collaborate, (4) put a sign on your property offering a 5-year agricultural lease for one dollar.
4. Figure out who owns what in your neighborhood. You can use fancy services like regrid.com or whatever online service your city/county/state provides.
5. Neglected public areas (e.g. highway dividers, flood control areas) are fair game for greenery/parks/whatever. Be nice, keep things clean, and most people will be grateful for your work.
6. Contact local businesses and ask if they'd like to collaborate on any projects that might pull in more local foot traffic. Your local coffee shop or church might be ecstatic to kickstart a community garden.
7. Use public parcel information to contact owners of neglected vacant lots. Share your vision of what that vacant lot could become; ask if they'd help you work toward that vision. If you cannot contact the owner, stake a giant sign into the plot with an artistic rendering of your vision; give them six months to respond before manifest-destinying their plot. Remember that squatting is legal. Squatters use the legal system precisely as intended. If you adopt this strategy, maintain copious documentation.
8. If you have extra money, invest in small local projects like these. Post ads for collaboration on bulletin boards at local coffee shops, community centers, etc.
9. Show up to city meetings! Subscribe to your city council's calendars. But don't cater to unreasonable timelines -- slow/beauracratic processes are evidence of negligence. People shouldn't suffer while waiting for committee meetings. In dire straits, forgo forgiveness for permission.
10. Share your story! Start a blog, podcast, video channel, etc. Think big; have fun.

Note: If you don't know where to start, email me at [email protected] and I'll do my best to help you out. I have no clue what I'm doing either, but I'm tenacious as h*ck.

Note: If the government fines you for trying to making your neighborhood better, email me at [email protected]. I'll shame your city on social media and find somebody to pay that fine.

Note: I want to start a "green seizure" collective! Email me at [email protected] if you're interested in plotting PR stunts, publishing media, nonprofit stuff, etc.

Remember, it's risky to invest time/money into public/private property without permission. They may bulldoze/sue/whatever whenever they please. The best way to reduce risk is to get enthusiastic permission (in writing).

But permission is optional. You can reclaim your neighborhood. In that deep pit of municipal negligence, it is your right -- your responsibility -- to foster life. Throw seeds. Fix pot holes. Paint bike lanes. Create shade. Plant trees. Squat. Pour sidewalks. Party in the streets. Party in your streets.