Target Garden, New York City
Designed by Sean Conway

We all share the need for contact with nature and time spent outdoors, but in some parts of the country these things are luxuries.

That's a fact that's been brought home to me over the past three years since I began working with Bette Midler and the New York Restoration Project.

Ms. Midler founded the group in 1995 with the aim of buying abandoned lots all over New York City, cleaning them up and transforming them into public spaces where people could go to reconnect with nature, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with neighbors.

Most of the lots were in forgotten neighborhoods and certainly not at the top of the city's beautification list. Ms. Midler's idea was that creating beautiful open spaces where people could gather to spend time outdoors would help restore a sense of community in these often underserved neighborhoods. So she created a well-run organization, raised funds and enlisted corporate support to rebuild these forgotten places.

Lot by lot, across New York's five boroughs, Bette's green army cleaned up properties that were filled with years' worth of trash, abandoned cars, piles of tires and mountains of broken glass. She enlisted the help of design professionals like myself to help recreate and reinterpret these spaces to make them serve communities better.

Fourteen years later, her vision has paid off.

The effect on the communities has been profound. No longer defaced and neglected, these properties are now a source of pride, and the center of neighborhood activity.

What once were abandoned lots are now beautiful locations for outdoor weddings, birthday parties and community concerts.

Although all the spaces I have worked on for the project are different, there is a common set of principles for creating an inviting outdoor environment, whether you're revitalizing an abandoned lot filled with trash or just doing something more interesting with your back yard.

Start with a clean slate

The first thing to do is clean up.

This holds true whether you have a large space or a small one. Get rid of anything that is taking up space but not serving a purpose. I have several friends with grown children who still have swing sets in their back yards (and, I can promise you, none of them are capable of making it down the slide in one piece!).

Designate areas of use

Think about how you want to use your space.

Will you need an area for cooking, dining, playing games or gardening? Do you have pets that will use the space? Deciding your needs first will help you achieve a better outcome.

Direct your views

Remember, you are trying to create an area to relax in.

If possible, screen out unwanted views with plantings or fencing. If that is not possible, create focal points such as water features, gardens or play areas to focus your attention on something more pleasant.

Retain open space

Try not to fill every inch your outdoor space.

This is true for large spaces as well as small ones. In the gardens I designed for the New York Restoration project, I made certain to keep some areas open and unplanted, which made the gardens seem much larger than they were.

Pay attention to light

The amount of sun (or lack thereof) will play a significant role in how your space can be used.

If the space gets no sunlight at all, don't plan a vegetable garden; you will be sadly disappointed with the results. If, on the other hand, there is no shade, you can always create it by building a shade structure such as a gazebo or an arbor covered with vines.

Finally, always look for that unique aspect of the site to work into the overall design in an unexpected way

In a garden I designed for NYRP with my colleague Jeff Dragan, community movie nights are held using the walls of neighboring buildings as giant outdoor movie screens. With a little imagination, you can transform any run-of-the-mill outdoor space into something extraordinary.

Gardening - Not Too Late to Plant Vegetables
Cultivating Life by Sean Conway

If you're just realizing that summer is here and you never got around to planting a vegetable garden, don't despair. While it may be too late to plant cool season crops such as peas, lettuce and broccoli, it is still not too late to plant heat-loving vegetables.

Gardening - Clay, the Unsung Mineral Beneath Your Feet
Cultivating Life by Sean Conway

The amount of clay in our soil has a lot to do with how well the soil drains, and how well plants will grow in it. Most soils are composed of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Good garden soil contains a balance of these components, but when there is an overabundance of one or the other, many plants simply will not grow -- or grow well -- in it.

HOME DECORATING, INTERIOR DESIGN, HOME RENOVATION & HOME IMPROVEMENT

Sean Conway's television series, "Cultivating Life," airs Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on WGN America. His new book, "Sean Conway's Cultivating Life" (Artisan Books, 2009), describes 125 projects for backyard living.

(c) 2009 DESIGN LINE DISTRIBUTED BY Tribune Media Services, Inc.