Urban greening co-creation: Participatory spatial modelling to bridge data-driven and citizen-centred approaches

Summary

The unprecedented growth of metropolitan areas creates challenges for maintaining liveable and biodiverse cities. Urban areas face multiple demands on sparse space whilst various stakeholders similarly aim to promote greening efforts. In this context, authorities need to balance various policy objectives with demands from diverse urban stakeholders. Part of this challenge is the question how generalized data-driven green space planning approaches can be connected to local, contextualized understandings, practices and values related to green space.

In this paper, we present a participative application of GIS that contributes to bridging the gap between data-driven and citizen-centred approaches in urban greening. Through an empirical study in Amsterdam, we show how this can link local priorities with larger-scale policy frameworks through deliberative and data-driven co-creation. In our case study, local stakeholders and researchers jointly identified criteria for greening, translated these into indicators and eventually identified potential locations for small-scale greening. Site visits by local experts helped to validate the model results and translate this into concrete plans for greening several locations.

Our approach promoted a dialogue between stakeholders, linking spatial data with practical experiences and aligning local priorities with policy programmes. Combining various knowledges from involved stakeholders also contributed to the quality of analysis and validation of modelling results. By increasing transparency and inclusiveness of planning, it also contributed to acceptance of process outcomes and empowering local stakeholders. With increasing urgencies for environmental measures in many cities, we emphasize the potential of transdisciplinary GIS-approaches to navigate different interests and integrate various types of valuable knowledge. We suggest that similar approaches may be applied to other environmental challenges that have a strong spatial character.