Urban Green in Public Space

Climate change and urbanization pose major challenges for cities worldwide. Urban greening projects can contribute to improving microclimate, air quality and social cohesion, particularly when citizens are actively involved. Despite numerous initiatives in Vienna, empirical knowledge about their long-term effects and success factors is still lacking.

This dissertation examines participatory greening projects in public spaces, focusing on the empirical assessment of long-term ecological and social impacts. Through a combination of qualitative interviews with citizens, experts and administration, quantitative surveys and case study analyses, effective methods of citizen participation and organizational success factors are identified. Participatory research methods such as citizen engagement workshops enable the collaborative development of concepts for specific locations.

The research combines technical aspects of vegetation technology with participatory planning processes and investigates what framework conditions the city must create to enable successful greening projects. The main objective is to create scientific foundations that can later contribute to the development of a comprehensive, practice-oriented guide that supports both citizens and city administration in implementing future greening initiatives and shows where and how civil society actors can contribute optimally.