Social innovation and urban forests - The role of science and social movements to influence decision making about urban forest design.

Abstract

Planning and management of urban green areas and particularly urban forests are part of a decisionmaking process that takes place at the local level of administration. Different urban planning priorities have an effect on the final design of these sp aces. Often, the decision making process is a top-down process without taking into account neither the citizens’ needs and opinions nor scientifc evidence of the benefits of urban forests nor best practices available at national or international level. The University of Málaga, together with the bottom-up initiative Bosque Urbano Málaga, gathered scientists, practitioners and citizens to evaluate the role of scientific evidence and the potential of social movements to influence the decision making about urban forest desing. Both diverse communication and the creation of an active citizenship were considered as key to influence the public opinion and build a solid gr ound for a bottom-up approach for the desing of urban green spaces.