The Wild in the City: Different Concepts and Their Role in the Construction of Urban Community Gardens of Goutte d'OR District of Paris.

In this article, I explore how different conceptions of the relationship between humans and non-human living beings shape the practices involved in the construction of two community gardens in the Goutte d’Or neighborhood of Paris. I draw on concepts from the research field — such as wild and laissezfaire nature — to discuss contrasting understandings of urban nature. In these gardens, conceptions grounded in a human–nature divide seem to prevail, resulting in a conservationist approach to their development. The practices stemming from this perspective appear to be in constant tension with some of the gardens’ goals, such as increasing urban biodiversity and providing spaces for human socialization. Reflecting on how perspectives on the human–nature relationship influences the constitution of community gardens in the city looks to be essential when discussing them as a form of public policy.