Collective urban green revitalisation: Crime control an sustainable behaviours in lower-income neighbourhoods

Abstract

The growing need to increase green spaces in highly urbanised cities has become more prominent recently. Special attention is paid to involving communities in the design process to enhance societal changes for a meaningful appreciation of the natural environment. Urban green collective initiatives in lower-income neighbourhoods have the potential to promote meaningful relatedness to the natural environment, agency, and stewardship. These initiatives contribute to new spatial collective norms that help decrease crime and violence. This study analyses a unique communal green space in Medellin, built and maintained by residents of the Villatina neighbourhood after a catastrophic landslide. After the disaster, residents exhibited self-organisation and collective efficacy to protect the space from being used by criminal actors. In 2010, the garden underwent renovations to be part of the ecosystem services network of the Circumvent Garden project. Although participatory strategies were implemented, the new social dynamics hindered collective actions in the space. This study contends that urban green collective initiatives in lower-income neighbourhoods introduce a unique form of communal action in urban green spaces, resulting in long-term societal changes. By integrating the collective placemaking strategies and key spatial elements in participatory design protocols, balanced social-environmental dynamics may be introduced to foster sustainable consciousness and minimise criminal behaviour.