Addressing Scale in Open Space Preservation: Learning from the Hague Region in the Netherlands

Abstract

ABSTRACTLandscapes can be understood as the dynamic interplay between biophysical, social, policy and political processes. The ‘politics of scale’ approach is a promising approach to study these dynamics. Biophysical processes are often excluded from the politics of scale however. This study seeks to follow a more encompassing political‐ecological approach. After a theoretical account we present the results of a case study on open space preservation in The Hague Region in the Netherlands using data from the PLUREL project (peri‐urban land use relationships) carried out within the European Commission's Sixth Framework. Findings indicate that the existence of green open space can be understood by the interplay between biophysical, social and policy processes on the one hand and the politicisation thereof on the other. The analysis also suggests that green open space preservation may cause social conflict when climate change, urbanisation, counter‐urbanisation and demographic change put new claims on these spaces.