Nubian Community Gardens seeks to address the issue of low access to fresh produce and whole foods in communities of color that has manifested itself following decades of the insidious historical practice of redlining. This urban agricultural community center will seek to alleviate this issue for the diverse community surrounding Nubian Square in Roxbury, MA.

Placed adjacent to the Dudley Police Station in Nubian Square, Roxbury, that was built following the state-sanctioned demolition of the Dudley St. Church, this intervention seeks to revive the former religious center of black congregation focused instead around fresh foods. The idea is to create a new community space to replace the old, that addresses the issue of fresh food scarcity within this historically redlined community, providing reparations for past racial injustice.

This urban agricultural community center has 4 main programs: on-site food growth via vertical hydroponics distributed throughout the building taking advantage of the buildings south facing under hangs for maximizing sun exposure. The first floor features a restaurant grill featuring culturally relevant foods (including jerk chicken, jollof rice ,& soul food) to the black, Muslim, and Latino community of Roxbury. The second floor features a fresh produce market yielding the produce grown hydroponically on site in addition to other whole foods from vendors in the Roxbury community. And finally the third floor features multipurpose community spaces for educational and community gatherings.

Nubian Community Gardens fosters a sense of community around food, with the belief that small-scale change can help alleviate and reparate major systemic issues.