Research projects

The research project “Governance of Green Infrastructures – Planning Cultures in European Comparison” conducted at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development in Dortmund aims to analyze the importance of green spaces as part of a wider green infrastructure network. The main objective within this analysis is to compare how the three city-regions Copenhagen, Manchester and the Ruhr Area are dealing with green infrastructure from a planning perspective. The underlying rationale of the project is that spatial development processes are deeply embedded in societal cultures and that planning practices vary greatly because of its cultural “codifications”. The project focuses on the following three research questions:

1. How are urban and regional green spaces as part of a wider green infrastructure network perceived and valued in different societal and cultural contexts?
2. Which planning concepts and instruments are in place to steer green infrastructure development and who are the key actors in this process?
3. How are economic aspects like ecosystem service benefits or economic valuation embedded in decision-making processes? If not, why?