Green spaces in times of an increasing urbanization: On the challenges of making sustainable cities
In this session of the seminar series “Space Bridges 2.0” our focus will be on green spaces in times of an increasing urbanization. It discusses the challenges of making cities more sustainable from a planning and governance perspective. It represents the Estonian contribution to our series.
Program:
- Welcome note and introduction by Tiina Elvisto
- The challenge. Green spaces in times of urbanization: Between sustainability, contestation and environmental justice (Helen Sooväli-Sepping)
- Case study #1. Urban gardening and the negotiation of neoliberal urban governance in the post-socialist city (Bianka Plüschke-Altof)
- Case study #2. Balancing inclusivity and resilience in Nordic-Baltic urban green renewal projects (Bradley Loewen)
- Discussion and concluding remarks (Helen Sooväli-Sepping)
See all sessions from the BUP seminar series "Space Bridges 2.0" on Youtube.
Quick Information
Date and time: 2 December 2021, 14.00-16.00 (CET)
Location: Online
Open for: Public
Host: BUP Estonia at Tallinn University. Coordinated by Tiina Elvisto.
Presenters
Helen Sooväli-Sepping (PhD)
Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
Helen is a Professor in Environmental Management at Tallinn University and Vice-Rector at Tallinn University of Technology, with specific focus on the organization’s green transition. Helen contributed by outlining the challenge of making cities more sustainable through the prism of urban green spaces and co-presentated the title "Small Cities Vulnerability Assessment and Planning Adaptation to Climate Change"
Bianka Plüschke-Altof (PhD) 
Tallinn University, Estonia
Bianka is a Researcher in Environmental Sociology at Tallinn University and Lecturer in Qualitative Research at the University of Tartu. Bianka presented a case study on urban gardening in the context of neoliberal urban governance in the post-socialist city.
Bradley Loewen 
University of Tartu, Estonia
Bradley is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Sustainability Transitions at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Instructor at the University of Tartu. Bradley presented a case study on urban green renewal projects that exemplifies the challenges of balancing inclusivity and resilience as two central trends in urban planning.
All contributions are based on the research conducted within the project “Human-nature Interactions in the City” supported by the Tallinn University Research Fund (TF519), which focuses on environmental behaviour from an interdisciplinary perspective in the case of urban green space (non-)use. The research was moreover supported by the Horizon 2020 project “GoGreenRoutes: Resilient Optimal Urban Natural Technological and Environmental Solutions” (under grant agreement No. 869764) and by the European Union’s Central Baltic Interreg Program “Visionary, Participatory Planning and Integrated Management for Resilient Cities”.