Grünpatenschaften im Spannungsfeld von neoliberaler Stadtpolitik und urbanen Bürgerbewegungen

Abstract

Protests by citizens against political and administrative decisions concerning urban parks have been repeatedly ignited. On the other hand, the public sector has noticed the potential that citizen commitment can have for the maintenance of urban parks, especially during a period of tight communal resources. One possible form of cooperation between the urban community and municipal government is represented by the “Green Godfathers”, in which small green spaces in the roadside environment are cared for by the citizens. The following article shows, using the example of tree slices in the German city of Bonn, the possibilities and limitations of citizen engagement in the field of urban parks. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods, the distribution of the “Green Godfathers” in the municipality and the evaluation of the Green Godfathers model were examined from various perspectives. The theoretical background for the article is provided by two different discourses. On the one hand, “Green Godfathers” can be seen as a result of neoliberal urban development and new forms of government. On the other hand, such initiatives may derive from civic initiatives such as Do-it-Yourself Urbanism or Urban Gardening.