In the last thirty years, urban gardens have increased each decade with the support of international organizations such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) and the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). The trending increase of metropolitan gardens continues as socially disconnected neighborhoods and polluted ecosystems harvest benefits from developing a new type of institution that provides green space and social development that communities can depend on. This paper examines the usage of urban gardens and how their evolution throughout the decades depends on modern societal transformations. Repurposing of urban gardens led to improvements in food security, economic empowerment, sustainability education, and human health. Originally designed for times of unemployment and food insecurity, the gardens today serve a new purpose in strengthening communities and offering social support to diverse communities ranging in age, socio-economic class, and mental spectrum. Social and agricultural science research has shown that urban gardens have a social benefit to surrounding communities while still retaining those original core values in relieving food insecurity and improving metropolitan environments. This research draws on a survey of different community gardens in the New York and New Jersey areas. The findings from this survey help understand the gradual evolution of community gardens in metropolitan habits. Analyzing this data near New York City found that these gardens’ goals were inspired by the prevalent lack of community cohesion, economic empowerment in disadvantaged neighborhoods, ecological resources to aid in well-being, and sustainable education to raise environmental awareness. For these gardens, expanding their focus from strictly providing food to being open to mitigate social challenges boosts community morale by combating social challenges such as systemic racism, neurodivergent discrimination, and other social inequities. This research observes the extent to which urban gardens value diversity as part of their guiding principle.