Doctoral dissertation researches current Slovenian system of managing public green areas given to the growing importance of public green areas for quality of urban life and to the fact that new spatial management concepts expose the meaning of comprehensive and inclusive management to ensure social, ecological and economic benefits of urban green areas. Thesis objective is to conceptually expand the understanding of public green spaces management, to emphasize the importance of integration between the phases and aspects of management and to form proposals that are in keeping with today’s inhabitants needs and adapted to Slovenian settlements planning system. The thesis is based on the assumption that Slovenian public green spaces planning and management system is inadequate and must therefore be complemented by measures ensuring a more comprehensive and inclusive practice. The research examines current situation with an overview of previous researches and with three analytical contributions: the analysis of public green areas management highlights how comprehensive the system really is; the analysis of community residential green spaces planning indicates the need for cooperation among interested stakeholders; the analysis of allotment gardening shows the stakeholders’ ability to cooperate. In the research various qualitative methods, interviews, case studies and state analyses were used, connecting current system features and revealing that public green areas planning and management in Slovenia is systematically underestimated, professionally and organizationally entirely left to municipalities, that the phases and aspects of the management are poorly connected and cooperation between interested stakeholders is underdeveloped. The findings confirm the assumption of the Slovenian system inadequacy and support formulation of proposals of organisational nature and other soft measures that could reinforce the quality of planning and management, encourage comprehensive strategic approach and enforce cooperation of stakeholders in the development of good practice on different levels of urban policy. The thesis is a contribution to the development of comprehensive public green space planning and management, of spatial planning and management practice and establishes the importance of qualitative research of different conditions, phases and aspects of the planning and management for the development of practice and system solutions.
|
