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Ownership and belonging in urban green space

Abram, Simone; Blandy, Sarah

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Authors

Sarah Blandy



Contributors

Ting Xu
Editor

Alison Clarke
Editor

Abstract

This paper uses a case study of an urban public park to re-problematize the notion of common urban green space. The chapter examines connections between: legal property ownership of parks which are accessible to the public; arrangements for governance and for participation in decision-making; and community 'belonging' and 'ownership' in relation to parks. The paper draws on property law and theory, anthropology, legal geography and recent work on the commons to examine these topical and important issues. Parks are a type of property that fits awkwardly into legal analysis and practice. We consider the layered and shifting meanings and understandings of common property and its governance in relation to parks. Our particular focus is Heeley People's Park, owned and managed by Heeley Development Trust (HDT), a charitable trust and company limited by guarantee, and its connections with two other Sheffield parks. The paper argues that the mismatch between property arrangements for parks, and the understanding and narrative of belonging and ownership, undermines efforts to secure the funding needed to secure parks as an important community resource.

Citation

Abram, S., & Blandy, S. (2018). Ownership and belonging in urban green space. In T. Xu, & A. Clarke (Eds.), Legal strategies for the development and protection of communal property (177-201). Oxford University Press

Acceptance Date Nov 3, 2017
Online Publication Date Oct 4, 2018
Publication Date Oct 4, 2018
Deposit Date Oct 10, 2018
Publicly Available Date Oct 4, 2020
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 177-201
Series Title Proceedings of the British Academy
Book Title Legal strategies for the development and protection of communal property.
Publisher URL https://global.oup.com/academic/product/legal-strategies-for-the-development-and-protection-of-communal-property-9780197266380

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