Execution: Elizaveta Weber-Fakirova

Dissertation: Shifting governance regimes for the scaling of Urban Green Infrastructure.

Methods: 

The project will combine an in-depth case study (Munich) with qualitative and foresight methods. In stage 1 of the doctoral thesis, the current UGI governance regime will be assessed by mapping UGI initiatives, their related stakeholders, and the current governance modes of operation to identify clusters of collaboration that work on specific UGI, scrutinize which urban challenges are addressed by these clusters, and how they relate to the UGI solutions developed in the three clusters. The potentials and barriers for multilevel cooperation between stakeholders will receive particular attention. Through a literature review, the results from the case study will be placed into the wider context of governance research. Findings will serve as an input into stage 2, in which doctoral candidates together with stakeholders define which new collaborations or governance structures can support changes in UGI governance regimes. The transformative potential of these changes in the governance regime in urban spaces of selected urban labs will be explored in the scenario approach. In stage 3, specific windows of opportunity and the potential of selected tools to introduce new modes of UGI governance will be investigated in workshops and interviews with stakeholders and experts. 

Outlook: 

In Period II, it is envisaged that SP4 will engage in a reflective inquiry of interactions between UGI as a technology with society, e.g., to address issues of environmental injustice, by introducing a new PI from the TUM School of Governance or the Munich Center for Technology in Society.

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) holds great potential to transform cities towards sustainability and climate resilience. Integrative landscape approaches are required to ensure multifunctional use of open spaces addressing biodiversity and climate change as well as health and social cohesion. In densely built inner cities, public open spaces such as streetscapes and squares are a particular target for implementing UGI. Yet, numerous barriers exist to transform these open spaces due to the intensive competition between different functions and uses above and belowground, regulatory barriers and, not least, the diversity of sectoral responsibilities. Although other public sectors have different primary goals, e.g. mobility, they might play a particular role in development of the UGI. However, sectoral approaches can also have drawbacks, such as low social and ecological benefits due to the development of UGI where it is not in need and reinforcing social and environmental injustices.

So far, the focus has been largely on urban planning and open space planning for developing coherent and multifuctional UGI networks through integrative approaches, whereas other public sectors that are responsible for infrastructures such as mobility, water supply, stormwater management, nature conservation, as well as social and health related sectors have been neglected. Therefore, the potential for the development of multifunctional UGI by integrative approaches within and between different sectors is not fully realized. The actual and potential agency of these sectors in UGI development is poorly understood even though some of these sectors, such as mobility planning, may hold considerable potential to drive or hinder UGI. Therefore, a better understanding is needed on whether UGI already is on the agenda of these urban sectors; how they understand the concept of UGI; which actor networks are involved; and which means they can employ to further UGI uptake and implementation. Such understanding can provide insights on how they can contribute to the strategic development of multifunctional UGI. Also, potential drawbacks of such sectoral approaches need to be critically examined.

The objectives are:

1. To establish the actual consideration of UGI in sectoral planning at different urban scales, and identify barriers and enablers for its uptake in these sectors

2. To identify good practices of UGI development within and across sectoral planning approaches

3. To explore the levers for more integrated urban green infrastructure planning and implementation by changing current practices of sector planning and governance modes

With this PhD, we aim to make a step towards integrating different strands of research in our RTG, focusing on: biodiversity, mobility, indoor and outdoor climates, human health, and stormwater management.

The proposed PhD research may include:

• A case study of the current role and interactions of different urban sectors to develop UGI, including a network analysis of actors involved, and a review of their understanding of UGI, their UGI-supporting instruments, and the resources employed

• A study of good practices in developing UGI within and across sectoral planning

• Analysis of transferability of insights gained into urban development processes of the city of Munich as main case study using participatory methods (e.g., workshops, scenario analysis)