Content
Introduction & Outcomes
Welcome to the first part of Module III. In this Module we are shifting our focus to urban forest governance, after having learnt about the urban forestry approach, urban forest resources and ways to assess these, and the diverse ecosystem services provided by urban forests. Next, we will discuss the importance of sound strategic decision-making for urban forestry. The governance concept recognises that decision making is often highly complex, involving many different actors and stakeholders. In this first section you will become familiar with the governance concept and its application in urban forestry. You will also learn about one of the key dimensions of governance, namely that of discourses or ‘storylines’ that are central to decision making.
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
- Define ‘governance’ and apply a governance perspective to an urban forestry context.
- Describe the key dimensions of urban forest governance.
- Explain what is meant with ‘discourses’ in urban forest governance – and provide examples of major current discourses.
Readings and Discussion Questions (For certificate learning only)
The book chapters by Sheppard et al. (2017) and Konijnendijk (2014), and especially the first part of the report by Ambrose-Oji et al. (2017) provide an introduction to urban forest governance. The Sheppard et al. chapter includes several real-life examples of urban forest governance. If you want to read more, you can also find an international set of city case studies in the optional readings (e.g. FAO 2018, and also on the Vibrant Cities Lab website). The Sheppard et al. chapter also introduces the important concept of community engagement. More about the latter will follow in the next sections.
After having completed the readings, you are once again asked to post a couple of discussion chapters on our course’s Discussion board. Are the specific topics or examples that you would like to discuss with the other students? Do you have questions on governance based on your own experience? How about some of the leading discourses in urban forestry that you have experienced?
Post-lecture Mini Quiz (For certificate learning only)
Now it’s time for you to complete an online, multiple choice topic quiz after finishing viewing each lecture for this topic. The main purpose of the quiz is to examine how well you grasp the contents for this topic. The quiz will be open-book, covering contents of the lecture(s) for the topic. You will have 5 mins to complete the quiz. Two attempts are allowed and higher mark will be saved for your grade. There will be 13 online topic quizzes throughout the course with 4-5 questions per quiz, each worth 4-5 points that collectively count for 10% towards the final grade.
When you are ready, click the link Mini Quiz 3.1 or go to left menu > Quizzes > Mini Quiz 3.1 to start taking the quiz.
Topic Summary
In this first part of Module III you have become familiar with the (rather new) concept of governance, and its application to urban forestry. Although public actors (such as municipal departments) often still dominate decision making in urban forestry, the role of businesses and local communities is increasing. A range of discourses are driving urban forestry, including climate change, public health, and the overall development (and competitiveness) of cities across the globe.
Topic Self-review (For self learning)
To review what you have learned in the topic, you are encouraged to use the following reflection questions as a study guide to do a self-review for the topic:
- Do you agree that the ‘governance’ concept is useful in an urban forestry context? Please elaborate.
- What are some of the leading discourses/storylines impacting urban forestry in your home city?
- Can you see how governance and government are different, but also are closely linked?
Graded Assignment(s) for the Week (For certificate learning only)
None.
|
|