The Right to the City in Urban Parks: The Role of Co-Governance in Fostering a Sense of Belonging

Yuan Liu, Manfredo Manfredini, Yuan Fang (), Zihao Guo and Jianqing Weng
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Yuan Liu: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, No. 140 Guangyan Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai 200072, China
Manfredo Manfredini: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, No. 140 Guangyan Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai 200072, China
Yuan Fang: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, No. 140 Guangyan Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai 200072, China
Zihao Guo: School of Architecture and Planning, The University of Auckland, 26 Symonds Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Jianqing Weng: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, No. 140 Guangyan Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai 200072, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-28

Abstract: This study investigates how urban park co-governance fosters a sense of belonging among residents and advances the Right to the City. It examines the role of parks in mitigating spatial fragmentation, inadequate living conditions, and relational disconnection in high-density urban environments. As essential green infrastructure, urban parks play a vital role in promoting spatial justice, community cohesion, and resident well-being. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City framework, this study introduces the concept of the Right to Urban Park, conceptualised as a bundle of rights: freedom (appropriation), individualisation (socialisation), habitat and to inhabit (differentiation), and key point participation. Focusing on the governance and self-governance of parks in high-density cities, this research mixed qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse a representative case in central Shanghai. The findings show that participation, collective action, and co-governance in urban parks effectively support the Right to the City. Integrating the Right to Urban Park framework into park planning and management enhances diversity, equality, and inclusion, thereby improving urban well-being. This framework plays an important role in fostering enfranchisement, individuation, and association processes that strengthen recognition, sense of belonging, and well-being.

Keywords: the right to the city; urban parks; structural equation modelling; co-governance; sense of belonging; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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