Stimulating public involvement in creating urban green spaces
Urban green spaces have a beneficial effect on the promotion of health and the reduction of heat stress. Many stakeholders are involved with urban green spaces. These stakeholders include citizens, municipalities and provinces, each of which have their own goals and resources. Stakeholders require a perspective for action to ensure an optimum, efficient realisation of urban green spaces. This research investigates possible perspectives for action for provinces to create and maintain urban green spaces through bottom-up initiatives. A dialogue tool was developed based on transition theory. This tool supports stakeholders in identifying their role and provides perspective for action.
Provinces have several options to increase public involvement through bottomup initiatives:
- Providing support and advice
Here, governments continuously reflect on the influence of their role in instigating and realising citizen's initiatives, so that this role can be effectively adjusted in time to the needs of the initiative for the duration of the entire process.
- Contribute to adjusting habits, regulations and laws
Once the wishes, objectives and visions of multiple initiatives, projects and programmes are clear and shared by multiple parties, it is easier to adjust existing habits and hindering laws and regulations.
- Creating a central point of contact
Initiators for increasing urban green spaces (such as citizen's initiatives) can go to a central point of contact to get into contact with the right people, departments and organisations.
- Facilitating meetings
This includes facilitating workshops, creating networks for sharing ideas and organising meetings where initiators and potential investors can be introduced.
- Providing clear guidelines for financial contributions
Governments have a vision of the public value of initiatives and under which conditions they are prepared to make a financial contribution. Making resources available for expanding public involvement will attract citizen's initiatives but also other parties. In the case of subsidy provision, it is important that there are clear selection criteria.
- Investing in time for good and timely communication
Efficient and timely communication between stakeholders will increase the chance of success for green citizen's initiatives and the involvement of citizens. The dialogue tool supports stakeholders in identifying their role and provides perspective for action.
New tool for engaging in dialogue
A dialogue tool has been developed that consists of a questionnaire and quick scan to start the dialogue between the parties involved. The questionnaire and quick scan are based on the transition framework.
The transition framework consists of five critical aspects:
- Vision and agenda
- Involvement and role of actors
- Resources
- Concrete activities
- Iterative learning process
Insight into roles and perspective for action are gained through these aspects and can be assessed and analysed on each relevant level for each stakeholder. The outcomes can be used for a follow-up process. The dialogue tool provides quick insight into the objectives and effects of the different connecting initiatives, projects and programmes.
Dialogue tool leads to greater public involvement
For this research, three citizens’ initiatives in three different provinces have been studied using the dialogue tool and, based on this, the tool has been further refined. This research has indicated that the dialogue tool contributes to enhancing public involvement in creating urban green spaces through bottom-up initiatives. Regularly engaging in dialogue supported the actors involved in identifying their roles.
Source: Dijkshoorn-Dekker, M. W. C., Soma, K., & Blaeij, A. T. (2017). Groene initiatieven in de stad: handelingsperspectief provincies voor het stimuleren van maatschappelijke betrokkenheid bij groen in de stad. (Wageningen Economic Research rapport; No. 2017-012). Wageningen Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.18174/424282