PPP Special Issue Editorial: Part I

We know from existing research the vital role that greenspaces play in areas such as environmental quality and health and well-being (Gore et al, 2013; Medford, 2012; Wolch et al, 2014) as well as being sites of community organising and action. Greenspaces make an important contribution to urban life as – at their best – democratic spaces open to use by all urban citizens. Yet they are also subject to continual contestation, with the history of public parks marked by struggle, contest and cycles of underfunding and relative decline. As places where the interests of multiple urban stakeholders often converge in terms of working practices and values, the future funding and management of such greenspaces is coming under particular pressure within the context of fiscal contraction, resultant shrinking public sector budgets and development pressures. This Special Issue therefore comes at an important moment, when new management structures and approaches are being considered, and decisions are being taken about the future of many green spaces.