Governing Greenbelts in Southern Ontario and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region: an Institutional Perspective

Abstract

In the last 30 years, a new generation of greenbelts has emerged in planning practice. These recent greenbelts have multi-functional policy goals and are often part of comprehensive regional land-use planning frameworks designed to manage regional growth more effectively. However, these regional greenbelts are increasingly under threat from suburban low-density development and the expansion of infrastructure networks, and their governance is embedded in complex institutional arrangements. These evolving circumstances create considerable challenges for policymakers seeking solutions to effectively govern these regional greenbelts. This study explores how institutional arrangements shape the governance of regional greenbelts in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, Canada, and in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region, Germany, as well as how these greenspaces could be more effectively managed in the future. The study shows that addressing the complex interactions between institutions and stakeholders involved in greenbelt management creates significant difficulties in coordinating policy implementation across different policy levels, policy fields and jurisdictions. Thus, this study reveals that the current institutional arrangements supporting new generation greenbelts cannot fully deliver on their ambitious policy objectives. To overcome these problems and to effectively manage these greenspaces, this study points to institutional design reforms needed for a new generation of greenbelts.