FP5 PROJECTS - JPods

4.1.1 Improving urban governance and decision making
GREENSCOM (Communicating Urban Growth and Green: Assessment of Planning
Concepts and Policy Instruments for Sustainable Development of the Urban Landscape)
Project Reference: EVK4-CT-1999-00006 Start Date: 01-04-2000
Contract Type: Cost-sharing contracts End Date: 30-06-2003
Project URL: http://www.greenscom.com Duration: 39 months
Problems to be solved
Urban planners and decision-makers in many cities in Europe are facing the challenge of finding a good
balance between urban open spaces and built up areas. Since this is a complex challenge that requires
the involvement of various stakeholders and interests, the governance- and decision-making aspects are
of major importance. Problems of urban open spaces are related to urban growth. If growth takes the
form of expansion in the urban fringe, there is increased pressure of sub-urbanisation, urban sprawl and
traffic on surrounding greenbelts. If there is growth in the existing city, there is the pressure of intensive
use, building activities, fragmentation by roads, pollution and noise imposed on green areas and other
open spaces in existing cities. In some of these open spaces, the so-called 'brownfields', pollution
inherited from past industrial uses may pose difficulties to conversion for either housing or green
functions. As a result there is increased pressure on the 'greenfields' in the urban fringe. In many cases,
green areas become small and scattered, polluted and disturbed. Traditionally, urban growth and green
are seen as competitive or even mutually exclusive. Yet cities have sometimes found ways to turn 'green
fingers' or 'greenways' into the backbones of urban development. Policies and projects have been
launched aiming at both sustainable economic and ecological development. The GREENSCOM project
focuses on learning from success and failure of local government experiences in this context.
Scientific objectives and approach
Abundant technical knowledge is available on greenstructures and urban open spaces, but the 'processknowledge'
of communication strategies, planning concepts and policy instruments often remains
underexplored. Learning about these strategies and instruments is the central research objective of
GREENSCOM. The project consists of a series of working packages that each have a clearly
circumscribed output. The outcome of the project as a whole is a toolkit. The toolkit consists of
communication strategies and policy instruments recommended under specified conditions. The tools are
neither 'blueprints'-nor recipes, but methods and approaches that can stimulate a deliberate process of
learning by doing at the local level. The tools will be useful to those involved in governing urban growth
and green at both the strategic and operational levels.
The research approach lead to a project in three phases. First, relevant questions and hypotheses
regarding communication and policy instruments were formulated in interaction with the cities involved.
Then, a framework was developed that allowed for comparative study of the cases. In the second phase,
this framework was used for case studies in five European countries. The third phase is an assessment of
the cases and leads to the toolkit. In all phases researchers closely work together with urban
practitioners. The assessment of the fourteen case studies in Gothenburg, Helsinki, Tampere, Aarhus,
Houten, Utrecht and Cergy Pontoise started in the summer of 2002. The toolkit development processes
will be achieved in the summer of 2003.
First results and questions tackled
Greenscom research shows how modern governance and a communicative approach can enhance the
performance of municipal organisations, contribute to the improvement of green space (ecological quality,
user quality, identity) and reduce conflicts over land use. The Uggledal case in Gothenburg, for example,
shows how the involvement of current inhabitants helped to save recreational green areas for the future
generations and prevented time-consuming appeal procedures.
Recent political developments in NW Europe and frustrated voters force us to critically review the
relationship between decision-makers and citizens. Which changes are feasible and desirable to enhance
representation of the interests of the various social groups in planning processes for the integration of
green space in urban development ?
Urban pressure on green space also necessitates the identification of approaches that reinforce the role
of public green in urban development planning.