TY - JOUR

T1 - Transformative or piecemeal? Changes in green space planning and governance in eleven European cities

AU - Hansen, Rieke

AU - Buizer, Marleen

AU - Buijs, Arjen

AU - Pauleit, Stephan

AU - Mattijssen, Thomas

AU - Fors, Hanna

AU - van der Jagt, Alexander

AU - Kabisch, Nadja

AU - Cook, Mandy

AU - Delshammar, Tim

AU - Randrup, Thomas B.

AU - Erlwein, Sabrina

AU - Vierikko, Kati

AU - Nieminen, Hanna

AU - Langemeyer, Johannes

AU - Texereau, Camille Soson

AU - Luz, Ana Catarina

AU - Nastran, Mojca

AU - Olafsson, Anton Stahl

AU - Møller, Maja Steen

AU - Haase, Dagmar

AU - Rolf, Werner

AU - Ambrose-Oji, Bianca

AU - Branquinho, Cristina

AU - Havik, Gilles

AU - Kronenberg, Jakub

AU - Konijnendijk, Cecil

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Co-governance

KW - participation

KW - climate change

KW - sustainability transformations

KW - green infrastructure

KW - TRANSITION MANAGEMENT

KW - SUSTAINABILITY

KW - INFRASTRUCTURE

KW - INNOVATION

KW - JUSTICE

KW - PATH

U2 - 10.1080/09654313.2022.2139594

DO - 10.1080/09654313.2022.2139594

M3 - Journal article

VL - 31

SP - 2401

EP - 2424

JO - European Planning Studies

JF - European Planning Studies

SN - 0965-4313

IS - 12

ER -