Articles
The FAO Green Cities Initiative: building more resilient and inclusive cities
Article number
1374_12
Pages
93 – 100
Language
English
Abstract
The European Landscape Convention states that the value of a landscape NDASH that is, an area the character of which is the result of the action and interaction of natural or human factors is only fully realized with the active participation of the local community.
Therefore, multi-actor involvement should not an option but a paradigm in the governance of cities and urban and peri-urban landscapes.
This notwithstanding, many institutions deliberately choose to exclude or minimize a broad range of actors involvement in planning, design and management, claiming that it is too expensive, time-consuming, conjectural or conflictual, or it is impractical.
However, community engagement has a wide number of benefits e.g. public support for planning decisions; common vision and awareness on building city resilience; avoidance of protracted conflicts and several others.
City planners and other actors should bear in mind that, while public participation is often a requirement for decision-makers, it is always voluntary for citizens, who are most likely to participate if they anticipate a rewarding experience or hope to influence planning, design and management processes.
To support its member countries address some of these issues, in 2020 an overview of the FAO launched the Green Cities Initiative (GCI), which focuses on improving the urban environment, strengthening urban-rural linkages and the resilience of urban systems, services and populations to external shocks, through improved access and availability to green spaces and sustainable agri-food systems.
Therefore, multi-actor involvement should not an option but a paradigm in the governance of cities and urban and peri-urban landscapes.
This notwithstanding, many institutions deliberately choose to exclude or minimize a broad range of actors involvement in planning, design and management, claiming that it is too expensive, time-consuming, conjectural or conflictual, or it is impractical.
However, community engagement has a wide number of benefits e.g. public support for planning decisions; common vision and awareness on building city resilience; avoidance of protracted conflicts and several others.
City planners and other actors should bear in mind that, while public participation is often a requirement for decision-makers, it is always voluntary for citizens, who are most likely to participate if they anticipate a rewarding experience or hope to influence planning, design and management processes.
To support its member countries address some of these issues, in 2020 an overview of the FAO launched the Green Cities Initiative (GCI), which focuses on improving the urban environment, strengthening urban-rural linkages and the resilience of urban systems, services and populations to external shocks, through improved access and availability to green spaces and sustainable agri-food systems.
Authors
S. Borelli
Keywords
urban forestry, green spaces, urban agriculture, urban food systems, healthy lifestyles, integrated planning
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