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Research article2023Peer reviewedOpen access

Transformative or piecemeal? Changes in green space planning and governance in eleven European cities

Hansen, Rieke; Buizer, Marleen; Buijs, Arjen; Pauleit, Stephan; Mattijssen, Thomas; Fors, Hanna; van der Jagt, Alexander; Kabisch, Nadja; Cook, Mandy; Delshammar, Tim; Randrup, Thomas B.; Erlwein, Sabrina; Vierikko, Kati; Nieminen, Hanna; Langemeyer, Johannes; Texereau, Camille Soson; Luz, Ana Catarina; Nastran, Mojca; Olafsson, Anton Stahl; Moller, Maja Steen;
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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.

Keywords

Co-governance; participation; climate change; sustainability transformations; green infrastructure

Published in

European Planning Studies
2023, Volume: 31, number: 12, pages: 2401-2424
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR AND FRANCIS LTD

      SLU Authors

      • Associated SLU-program

      Nature experiences and health

      Sustainable Development Goals

      Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
      Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
      Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Landscape Architecture
      Human Geography

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2022.2139594

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/120165