Transformative or piecemeal?

Changes in green space planning and governance in eleven European cities

authored by

Rieke Hansen, Marleen Buizer, Arjen Buijs, Stephan Pauleit, Thomas Mattijssen, Hanna Fors, Alexander van der Jagt, Nadja Kabisch, Mandy Cook, Tim Delshammar, Thomas B. Randrup, Sabrina Erlwein, Kati Vierikko, Hanna Nieminen, Johannes Langemeyer, Camille Soson Texereau, Ana Catarina Luz, Mojca Nastran, Anton Stahl Olafsson, Maja Steen Møller, Dagmar Haase, Werner Rolf, Bianca Ambrose-Oji, Cristina Branquinho, Gilles Havik, Jakub Kronenberg, Cecil Konijnendijk

Abstract

Green (and blue) spaces receive attention as important components of cities that can help to mitigate the effects of climate change, support biodiversity and improve public health. Green space planning aims to transform cities towards urban sustainability and resilience. In a longitudinal study, representatives from eleven European municipalities that had previously been interviewed in 2014 were re-interviewed in 2020–2021 on changes in urban greening and related practices. The interviewees reported mainly advancements in dealing with ecological issues, such as new plans, strategies, regulations or funding programmes for climate adaptation or biodiversity support, as well as some progress in co-governance with non-governmental stakeholders. Promising developments include breaking professional silos by creating new units that can better deal with complex urban issues. In a few cases, high-level local politicians induced profound changes. These changes stimulated the development of new planning and governance cultures, resulting in more co-creation of urban green spaces. However, from a transformation studies perspective, incremental strategies dominate, and even when municipal representatives are aware that substantive changes are needed, they often lack the means to act. For more radical system change, significant extra efforts are needed.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Digital Landscape Ecology Group

External Organisation(s)

Hochschule Geisenheim University
Wageningen University and Research
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Forestry Commission
VA SYD
Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)
Universidade de Lisboa
University of Ljubljana
University of Copenhagen
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin)
University of Lodz
Nature Based Solutions Institute (NBSI)
Heriot-Watt University
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)

Type

Article

Journal

European planning studies

Volume

31

Pages

2401-2424

No. of pages

24

ISSN

0965-4313

Publication date

2023

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2022.2139594 (Access: Open)