Abstract
A critical reflection on community-based research projects, has learned that despite
the great diversity in such projects, the basic elements are often similar. This
notion made it possible to develop a framework for working with communities
on (city)green projects. This framework consists of an overall governance
structure in which the following aspects all have its place: a pro-active attitude,
coalition forming (between communities, municipalities and other stakeholders),
conflict management, interventions, managing the internal organisation, integral
development and expectation management. All these aspects are related; gaining
insight into how these aspects and their relations work in a specific situation make
it possible to create sustainable solutions for neighbourhood questions. This model
has been deducted from several Wageningen University Science Shop projects with
multiple stakeholders in the domain of rural and urban landscapes with at first sight
often conflicting interests. The model creates awareness of the many aspects an
actor in such situations has to pay attention to in order to operate successfully, with
respect to both ecological and social goals. It stimulates actors to integrate different
stakes in one plan. We will illustrate this with two case studies of interventions of
Wageningen University Science Shop. The first case resulted in an integrated rural
development plan for a former mining area in the south of the Netherlands, the
second in a plan for city gardening in the city of Utrecht which was beneficiary
for many stakeholders. In both cases the capacities of local groups, students,
researchers and teachers were combined. This process not only led to knowledge
development, but also to capacity building and empowerment. In fact, the latter
was the most important aim of the intervention. This paper is based on a book:
Communities creating (city) green (2012, in Dutch: Bewoners maken het groen).
Often, interventions such as those of the science shop are of vital importance , but
the insights of the book make it easier for communities to find their own sustainable
solutions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Abstract Book 6th Living Knowledge Conference |
| Editors | S. Brodersen, J. Dorland, M. Sogaard Jorgensen |
| Place of Publication | Copenhagen |
| Publisher | Aalborg University |
| Pages | 125-125 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9788793053014 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | 6th Living Knowledge Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark - Duration: 9 Apr 2014 → 11 Apr 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | 6th Living Knowledge Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark |
|---|---|
| Period | 9/04/14 → 11/04/14 |
