Assessment and Perception of Green and Open Spaces in Urban Regions in the Context of Climate Protection and Climate Adaptation

Under conditions of climate change, urban green and open spaces in increasingly urbanizing societies provide important functions of climate adaptation and mitigation. However, various stakeholders assess and perceive these areas differently, which eventually leads to conflicts with regard to using these spaces. The aim of this project was threefold: 1) to assess and analyze the perception of selected green and open spaces by different stakeholders (i.e. citizens, planners, politicians) in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, Germany, 2) to identify possible conflicts over the use of these spaces and 3) to develop strategies to cope with these conflicts. The project employs an integrated and multi-perspective approach, combining methods of the natural sciences, social science, political science and spatial planning. The interdisciplinary analysis reveals discrepancies between the actual provision of ecosystem services by these spaces, various spatial perceptions and demands of residents and the assessment of planners and politicians, each following different logics and argumentations.