Version 1
: Received: 7 March 2024 / Approved: 7 March 2024 / Online: 7 March 2024 (12:55:29 CET)
Version 2
: Received: 31 March 2024 / Approved: 1 April 2024 / Online: 1 April 2024 (10:27:05 CEST)
Oikonomaki, E.; Papadaki, I.; Kakderi, C. Promoting Green Transformations through Smart Engagement: An Assessment of 100 Citizen-Led Urban Greening Projects. Land2024, 13, 556.
Oikonomaki, E.; Papadaki, I.; Kakderi, C. Promoting Green Transformations through Smart Engagement: An Assessment of 100 Citizen-Led Urban Greening Projects. Land 2024, 13, 556.
Oikonomaki, E.; Papadaki, I.; Kakderi, C. Promoting Green Transformations through Smart Engagement: An Assessment of 100 Citizen-Led Urban Greening Projects. Land2024, 13, 556.
Oikonomaki, E.; Papadaki, I.; Kakderi, C. Promoting Green Transformations through Smart Engagement: An Assessment of 100 Citizen-Led Urban Greening Projects. Land 2024, 13, 556.
Abstract
The impact of the climate crisis on urban environments and life within them is evident. In the face of challenges like heatwaves, floodings and other extreme events, pollution, and declining quality of life in cities, there is a growing demand for the preservation and expansion of urban green spaces, often driven by citizen-led transformations. This paper examines 100 urban greening projects initiated or supported by citizens globally, categorizing them according to the type of greenery, the stakeholders involved, the mode of implementation and the use of smart technologies incorporated. We notice variations in green endeavors based on the stakeholders spearheading them, however most of entirely citizen-led initiatives aimed at the creation of urban farms and food growing, demonstrating the pressuring needs for food securing and self-determination in communities. More than half of the assessed initiatives that managed to scale up and multiply had public authorities providing a framework or a type of support for their development or an NGO or other organization providing expertise and mobilize citizens at various stages. In terms of technological use, we find mostly websites and social media platforms easing participatory endeavors and knowledge sharing of best practices, accelerating scaling efforts, while there is a low integration of more advanced digital technologies, which if used, could enable real-time monitoring of green spaces, inform evidence-based decision-making, and streamline processes in scaling up green initiatives.
Keywords
Urban Greening Initiatives; Civic action; Smart technologies; Green Transition; Climate change; Urban Transformation; Green City; Smart City Planning
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Sustainable Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
