Urban parks offer city dwellers a range of tangible benefits, and also provide essential ecosystem services. The management of these green amenities is often the responsibility of local authorities or other government agencies, and in order to be successful these public sector employees must cultivate interaction with other stakeholders -such as academic researchers and private practitioners -for the specialized knowledge they canoffer. In this study, we examine the attitudes of these different actors toward professional collaboration and look for ways in which the transfer of knowledge can be made more effective. To this end, a worldwide survey was conducted among public and private-sector actors, with the survey sample based largely on the membership of the World Urban Parks (WUP) association. Our findings indicate that representatives of public agencies, due to a lower overall level of up-to-date knowledge, do indeed have a pressing need for productive collaboration with those in private practice, academic research institutions and community advocacy groups. The most highly valued mode of communication was found to be face-to-face learning, especially if it is interactive and imparts practical as well as theoretical knowledge. The most important factor noted by respondents for initiating new collaborations is personal contacts, which are considered more important than affiliation in particular professional or other organizational frameworks. Numerous respondents prioritized the possibilities for joint creativity as the most important benefits of collaboration. A number of obstacles to successful collaboration were also emphasized by the survey respondents, and these include cumbersome 'bureaucracy' and a 'divergence of interests or approaches among stakeholders.' The latter signals a crucial need for finding and developing a "common language" among different types of stakeholders, which can accommodate their divergent priorities andconcerns. To accomplish this, a special role is envisioned for international professional associations -which can help build bridges not only between actors from different professions, but also from different countries and cultures.
Speaking 'green': Finding a common language among stakeholders in urban park design and management
Ugolini F;
2018
Abstract
Urban parks offer city dwellers a range of tangible benefits, and also provide essential ecosystem services. The management of these green amenities is often the responsibility of local authorities or other government agencies, and in order to be successful these public sector employees must cultivate interaction with other stakeholders -such as academic researchers and private practitioners -for the specialized knowledge they canoffer. In this study, we examine the attitudes of these different actors toward professional collaboration and look for ways in which the transfer of knowledge can be made more effective. To this end, a worldwide survey was conducted among public and private-sector actors, with the survey sample based largely on the membership of the World Urban Parks (WUP) association. Our findings indicate that representatives of public agencies, due to a lower overall level of up-to-date knowledge, do indeed have a pressing need for productive collaboration with those in private practice, academic research institutions and community advocacy groups. The most highly valued mode of communication was found to be face-to-face learning, especially if it is interactive and imparts practical as well as theoretical knowledge. The most important factor noted by respondents for initiating new collaborations is personal contacts, which are considered more important than affiliation in particular professional or other organizational frameworks. Numerous respondents prioritized the possibilities for joint creativity as the most important benefits of collaboration. A number of obstacles to successful collaboration were also emphasized by the survey respondents, and these include cumbersome 'bureaucracy' and a 'divergence of interests or approaches among stakeholders.' The latter signals a crucial need for finding and developing a "common language" among different types of stakeholders, which can accommodate their divergent priorities andconcerns. To accomplish this, a special role is envisioned for international professional associations -which can help build bridges not only between actors from different professions, but also from different countries and cultures.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
