How to move from top-down green management toward genuine co-creation with residents? Anne Luijten explains how the City of Arnhem developed a model for involving citizens for a long time. Anika Depraetere emphasizes the value of social embeddedness and material support.
For this first Rewild Talk, we welcome Anne Luijten from Arnhem in the Netherlands. This city has built an interesting model for involving residents in the long-term management of urban green spaces. Through ‘groengroepen’ (neighbourhood green groups) and green adoption schemes, citizens take active ownership of their local environment. Anne walks us through how this works in practice: the governance structures, the community dynamics, and the lessons learned along the way.
The showcase is complemented by a reflection from Anika Depraetere, researcher at Eco-city (HoGent). Drawing on her fieldwork in Ghent neighbourhoods, Anika highlights two key conditions for successful co-creative green management: social embeddedness and material support. She emphasizes that motivating residents to take ownership of green spaces requires concrete, action-oriented projects, flexible professionals with a hands-on attitude, and a collective neighbourhood narrative in which everyone feels included, including those less visible in city life.
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