Urban Green Space Policies: Performance and Success Conditions in European Cities

5. Policy relevance for planning and management of urban green spaces

The problems observed in management and planning of urban green spaces make necessary
to develop a new approach and new principles. First, to improve present practice an
informative database and good practice networks should be created. Second, urban green and
open space planning policies should be determined locally and these policies in development
plans should aim at satisfying local needs and assisting in the achievement of national and
international objectives. Third, more integrated approaches for the development and
management of urban green spaces are needed. New approaches to combine strategic
planning for green space with innovative design and the delivery and active involvement of
the community at all stages should be developed. A collaborative and enabling partnership
among local authorities, local businesses and voluntary groups should be formed. Community
involvement including local residents and the specific users of the spaces should be provided.
Fourth, planning authorities should develop their own local standards for green spaces not
only in new housing developments but also in non-housing developments such as industry,
and business. Fifth, quantity, quality and accessibility of green spaces should form the basis
for a vision for urban green space. Planning policies should give a high priority to ensuring
that new green spaces are of sustainable high quality, if necessary at the expense of quantity.

As a result, all research and policy efforts for improving the quality of life in cities and urban
regions of Europe will have an impact on the quality of locations both on a small and a large
scale. Providing attractive and accessible green spaces creates benefits to the competitiveness
of the urban location in a broader perspective.

References

Baycan-Levent, T., P. Nijkamp (2002) Planning Urban Green Space: A Comparison of
European and Dutch Cities. Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, vol.8 no, 2, pp.

Baycan-Levent, T., E. van Leeuwen, C. Rodenburg, P. Nijkamp (2003) Development and
Management of Green Spaces in European Cities: A Comparative Analysis. In: Jim Colman
and Elias Beriatos (2003) Urban planning and the pulsar effect: coping with peaks, troughs
and repeats in the demand cycle, ISOCARP.

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