ABSTRACT
Urban green spaces as public goods are usually developed and managed by the government in China. Recently, collaborative green spaces, in the form of community gardens, have proliferated in Chinese cities. These gardens are usually co-created by multiple stakeholders in underserved neighborhoods. This research studies gardens’ governance typology based on leading actors that initiate the gardens and analyzes the factors influencing garden success. We take an inductive case-study approach and identify three main garden governance models: State-led, civic-led, and business-led. Each model has distinct motivations, advantages, and challenges due to the social position and resources of the leading actors. State-led gardens are the predominant type of community gardens with rich resources, but struggle with residents’ long-term engagement. Civic-led gardens are more proactive in mobilizing the public but need to gain land-use legitimacy. Business-led gardens are flexible with their operation, yet profitability is challenging given the relatively small market as well as the lack of supportive policies. We provide recommendations to overcome challenges for each type of governance model. This research not only provides practical insights to co-creating community gardens in underserved neighborhoods but also a new analytical lens to understand how leadership may influence collaborative governance models.
