The sum of the parts: managing local urban green space as strategic infrastructure

Keywords: urban green space, sustainability, green infrastructure, strategic planning, parks
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 6

Abstract

In cities around the world, urban green space is recognised as a planning tool for addressing a wide range of environmental, social and economic concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value green spaces play in the health and well-being of local communities. At the same time, urban green spaces are increasingly being framed as critical green infrastructure in regional and national sustainability strategies. Yet, the multiscalar benefits that urban green spaces can provide present challenges for green space management, governance and funding.

This research explores the impact of the tension that results when green spaces are positioned as both local and national assets. It uses two recently formed pan-London organisations – the London Green Spaces Commission and the London National Park City Foundation – to explore whether a shift towards a strategic approach to green space planning and management is occurring in London, a city recognised for its parks and green spaces. Drawing from in-depth interviews, it finds that an enduring perception of green space predominantly as local amenity space leads to tension and contradictions with policies and practices that seek to leverage these spaces for benefits beyond the local level. As a result, the ability of these spaces to deliver multifunctional benefits in support of strategic sustainability goals is limited.