Leiden University Student Repository

Woude, Sietse van der (2017)

Urban green space provision: A socio-political inter-city comparison of New York and Shanghai

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis is a study on the provision and management of urban green space through the lens of the structure and actors which influence the often socially unequal outcomes. This has been done by taking Shanghai and New York as case studies using the paired comparison case study method. It has been found that, while there are very different variables in play between the two cities, the outcome of the interaction between structure and actors are oftentimes similar. In addition, the changing of the structures over time, while not analogous, has certainly moved in the same direction. Using urban green space provision as a post-political facade for underlying motives of growth is becoming more common, denying the average citizen a voice in the matter. Environmental gentrification is a real problem which has existed since the start of modern urban green space provision, and an effective solution has yet to be found.

Shanghai

New York

Urban green space

Urban governance

Social inequality

Author

Woude, Sietse van der

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

East Asia

Supervisors

Wang, Enoch

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en