Towards good governance of urban greening: insights from four initiatives in Melbourne,Australia |
| |
| Authors: | Brian Coffey Judy Bush Laura Mumaw Lisa de Kleyn Casey Furlong Raven Cretney |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia brian.coffey@rmit.edu.au;3. Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7847-6610;4. Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6164-8482;5. Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia;6. Water Strategy, GHD Consulting, Melbourne, Australia;7. School of Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3444-2897 |
| |
| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Urban greening can enhance sustainability and liveability, through conserving biodiversity, mitigating urban heat and enhancing people’s health and wellbeing. However, urban greening is complex, as it occurs in unique ecological settings, with social, cultural and economic factors shaping the forms it takes. This raises questions about the governance of urban greening, including what counts as ‘good governance’. In this paper, we first outline principles of good governance drawn from the natural resource management context. We then present four urban greening initiatives from Melbourne Australia representing different scales, land tenures and organising structures. Following this, we analyse how governance of the four initiatives addresses good governance principles. Our analysis shows that there are diverse ways in which urban greening can be practiced and governed. The importance of more ‘informal’ initiatives should not be discounted relative to formalised initiatives, as a spectrum of approaches can be seen as strength. Further, in determining what constitutes good governance, the standards against which initiatives are assessed should be tailored to their specific circumstances, and consider impacts to the environment itself. These findings point to good urban greening governance being both situated and principled. |
| |
| Keywords: | Urban greening governance good governance Melbourne Australia community participation stewardship |
|
|
![ORCID Icon]({"type":"image","src":"/templates/jsp/images/orcid.png"} "ORCID Icon")
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7847-6610;4. Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia