@conference{
author = "Čepić, Slavica and Tomićević-Dubljević, Jelena and Pantić, Marijana and Radić, Boris",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Collective urban gardens have attracted the attention of scholars, local organizations,
the non-governmental sector, and policymakers as they seem to provide a
valuable ground for meeting the interests and needs of different urban actors. As
part of green infrastructure, they demonstrate a challenge for open green space
governance and management. This study focuses on the concept of participatory
governance and explores top-down and bottom-up initiatives of collective urban
gardening in three European cities: Malmo, Zagreb, and Belgrade. The objectives
of the research are to describe and analyze the organization and governance models
of collective urban gardens using the governance arrangements approach and
identify the main success factors that support long-term, sustainable organization
and governance. The study is based on a qualitative research approach, including
document analysis and semi-structured interviews with local government representatives,
NGOs, and users. The results suggest that there is no single successful model
of organization and governance of collective gardens - each location requires an
understanding of the context and local conditions, as well as the users’ needs. Still,
some factors can be identified as relevant for long-term sustainable governance.
Having the support of city or municipal institutions in setting legal and planning
parameters and supplying resources such as land and education is a significant contributor
to achieving success. Another relevant aspect is the readiness of local governments
to cede some of their authority in managing green areas and transfer it
to an organization or group of users. A transparent and open participatory process,
based on the trust and equality of actors, is needed for sound cooperation between
different stakeholders involved in governance. Any support that comes from outside
the community, including support from the city or municipal government, must be
on a partnership basis. Institutional support is particularly relevant for scaling up local initiatives and integrating collective urban gardens into the system of green
areas at the city level.",
publisher = "Stockholm / Nairobi : International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)",
journal = "Book of Abstracts, IFLA World Congress 2023, 28-30 September, 2023, Stockholm, Nairobi (hybrid event)",
title = "Collective urban gardens: Exploring the concept of participatory governance",
pages = "275-276",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_raumplan_909"
}
