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Personal and environmental drivers of resident participation in urban public woodland management – A longitudinal study

Fors, Hanna LU ; Wiström, Björn and Nielsen, Anders Busse (2019) In Landscape and Urban Planning 186. p.79-90
Abstract

Woodlands are a core component of urban green infrastructure in terms of both ecosystem service provision and areal cover, with particular relevance and potential for engaging citizens in co-management approaches. Despite widespread agreement on the importance of user participation, there is still a lack of comprehensive knowledge on the underlying drivers. Extending existing knowledge is important for efforts by local authorities to facilitate and sustain participation. The present longitudinal mixed-method study investigated residents’ drivers for participating in the management of urban woodland bordering their gardens in a so-called co‐management zone in the Danish residential area Sletten, Holstebro. Repeated field surveys of... (More)

Woodlands are a core component of urban green infrastructure in terms of both ecosystem service provision and areal cover, with particular relevance and potential for engaging citizens in co-management approaches. Despite widespread agreement on the importance of user participation, there is still a lack of comprehensive knowledge on the underlying drivers. Extending existing knowledge is important for efforts by local authorities to facilitate and sustain participation. The present longitudinal mixed-method study investigated residents’ drivers for participating in the management of urban woodland bordering their gardens in a so-called co‐management zone in the Danish residential area Sletten, Holstebro. Repeated field surveys of physical signs of participation were combined with a field survey of woodland vegetation characteristics and demographic data on residents. Mixed generalised linear modelling was performed to identify the dominant personal, physical environmental and social environmental variables explaining level of resident participation. The statistical analysis was complemented by interviews with residents. Both personal and environmental drivers explained participation. Interest in gardening, stand height and residents inspiring their neighbours helped explain participation in 2010, while increase in participation between 2010 and 2015 was supported by forest edge type and length of residence. Thus, a stronger focus on the temporal dimension is recommended for future studies. Green space managers wanting to facilitate co-management can encourage participation by identifying people interested in gardening who inspire others, combined with strategic woodland vegetation design and management aimed at increasing visual and physical accessibility, i.e. establishing one-step and semi-open forest edges and sufficient tree height.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Co-management zones, Gardening, Green space management, Involvement, Motives
in
Landscape and Urban Planning
volume
186
pages
79 - 90
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85062445099
ISSN
0169-2046
DOI
10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.017
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
3bac914c-f4e7-45d1-b257-2c3ee65b2788
date added to LUP
2020-09-10 10:25:22
date last changed
2022-04-19 00:39:20
@article{3bac914c-f4e7-45d1-b257-2c3ee65b2788,
  abstract     = {{<p>Woodlands are a core component of urban green infrastructure in terms of both ecosystem service provision and areal cover, with particular relevance and potential for engaging citizens in co-management approaches. Despite widespread agreement on the importance of user participation, there is still a lack of comprehensive knowledge on the underlying drivers. Extending existing knowledge is important for efforts by local authorities to facilitate and sustain participation. The present longitudinal mixed-method study investigated residents’ drivers for participating in the management of urban woodland bordering their gardens in a so-called co‐management zone in the Danish residential area Sletten, Holstebro. Repeated field surveys of physical signs of participation were combined with a field survey of woodland vegetation characteristics and demographic data on residents. Mixed generalised linear modelling was performed to identify the dominant personal, physical environmental and social environmental variables explaining level of resident participation. The statistical analysis was complemented by interviews with residents. Both personal and environmental drivers explained participation. Interest in gardening, stand height and residents inspiring their neighbours helped explain participation in 2010, while increase in participation between 2010 and 2015 was supported by forest edge type and length of residence. Thus, a stronger focus on the temporal dimension is recommended for future studies. Green space managers wanting to facilitate co-management can encourage participation by identifying people interested in gardening who inspire others, combined with strategic woodland vegetation design and management aimed at increasing visual and physical accessibility, i.e. establishing one-step and semi-open forest edges and sufficient tree height.</p>}},
  author       = {{Fors, Hanna and Wiström, Björn and Nielsen, Anders Busse}},
  issn         = {{0169-2046}},
  keywords     = {{Co-management zones; Gardening; Green space management; Involvement; Motives}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  pages        = {{79--90}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Landscape and Urban Planning}},
  title        = {{Personal and environmental drivers of resident participation in urban public woodland management – A longitudinal study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.017}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.017}},
  volume       = {{186}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}