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



1. Introduction

The concept of sustainability has become an important paradigm in urban planning, in
particular since a high proportion of the world’s production, consumption and waste
generation is concentrated in cities. Therefore, a general concern for quality of life and
sustainability, with a particular focus on the city, has emerged at a world-wide scale.
Societies have become concerned with the built or man-made environment and with
protecting or shaping nature in urban areas, and this has led to specific landscape patterns in
the countryside as well as to the creation of parks and gardens in urban areas (MacHarg,
1971, Roelofs, 1999, Turner et al. 1999).

Urban green spaces play a key role in improving the liveability of our towns and cities. The
quality and viability of cities largely depend on the design, management and maintenance of
urban green as well as of open and public spaces in order to fulfil their role as an important
social and visual focus. The quality of green spaces helps to define the identity of towns and
cities, which can enhance their attractiveness for living, working, investment and tourism.
Therefore, urban green can contribute positively to the competitiveness of cities.

Despite the great benefits that urban green spaces provide there is a serious lack of
information about the quantity and quality of urban green spaces. From a
policy perspective,
the results of several case studies showed important needs and priorities for the development
and management of urban green spaces. Among these needs for planning and management of
urban green spaces the following factors can be mentioned:

First, to improve the quality of urban green spaces an informative database is needed.
However, there is a serious lack of information about the quantity and quality of urban green
spaces. Information on the quantity and quality of green spaces within urban areas is
incomplete and fragmented. There is no single source and no single accurate set of figures.

Second, urban green and open space planning policies need to be determined locally in order
to satisfy local needs and to assist in the achievement of national and international objectives.

Third, more integrated approaches and the active involvement of the community for the
development and management of urban green spaces are needed. A collaborative and



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