Applying the green city conceptual framework to analyse multilevel governance in addressing interconnected wicked problems in urban greening

Abstract

Despite advances in sustainability research, limited understanding remains of how multilevel governance (MLG) operates within green city frameworks to link policy integration, sectoral action, and implementation dynamics in addressing interconnected wicked problems. This paper addresses this gap by extending the Green City Conceptual Framework (GCCF), demonstrating its value as both a performance measurement tool and a multidimensional analytical framework. Drawing on a desk study, secondary literature, interviews and stakeholder consultations in Uzbekistan, and expert insights, the study finds that urban greening exhibits all nine characteristics of wicked problems, reinforcing cumulative complexity. This helps explain why urban greening functions both as a wicked problem and as a response to interconnected challenges. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated, adaptive, and integrated governance approaches. Through its four entry points, the GCCF enables the analysis of cross-sector interactions, the identification of misalignments, and the examination of complex sustainability dynamics. Its application in Denov, Uzbekistan, illustrates how national objectives translate into local action, revealing fragmentation, coordination gaps, and governance constraints, while highlighting the importance of participation, institutional coordination, and capacity building. Despite the presence of policy instruments, implementation remains constrained by limited capacity, competing priorities, and resistance to change. The GCCF complements MLG and policy integration frameworks by translating them into a practice-oriented approach, shifting focus from institutional design to implementation performance and systemic misalignment. It supports diagnostic and comparative analysis, showing how climate-focused integration can generate spillovers across sectors, while also generating co-benefits and tensions inherent to wicked problems. Overall, the findings demonstrate that multilevel arrangements alone do not guarantee coherence, as sectoral silos and weak coordination persist across governance levels. By making implementation processes visible, the framework reveals gaps between policy intentions and outcomes, offering practical insights for improving urban greening under conditions of complexity and fragmentation.