Green spaces as places for inclusion
Inclusive governance in six urban green spaces in the Netherlands and Spain
Sara Romero-Muñoz (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)
Víctor Muñoz Sanz (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Teresa Sánchez-Chaparro (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)
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Abstract
This study analyses how the governance of urban green spaces can foster social inclusion in cities affected by globalisation and inequality. To address the question of which institutional governance configurations are most effective in promoting social inclusion, an ethnographic approach was combined with a multiple-case study design in the Netherlands and Spain. Through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, cooperative processes and tensions were identified in various urban green spaces that differed in property regimes and scale. The findings show that agreements on access and usage rules, flexible governance structures, and the coordination of tangible and intangible resource exchanges between urban managers, residents and visitors are key to enhancing inclusion. Finally, a typology of inclusive governance forms is proposed, arranged along a continuum from centrally administered municipal governance to community-based governance, with an intermediate hybrid governance model between them.
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