Governing urban green spaces in the context of climate change in Ghana

Urban greening is important for its contribution to climate change adaptation. However, the governance of urban green spaces as adaptive responses to climate change has received little attention. This study used good governance principles in theorizing and understanding the governance of urban green spaces for climate change adaptation. Four urban greening initiatives in Ghana were sampled as cases to form the basis for analyzing the governance of urban greening. Findings show that urban greening initiatives are spontaneous as urban greening actions are not backed by policy. Therefore, three out of the eight good governance principles (inclusivity, fairness, and accountability) were not well integrated. Governance styles adopted missed out on local issues as some of the initiatives were not intentionally framed for climate change intervention. Adoption of urban greening policy as a pathway to climate change adaptation is recommended. Integration of economic and social co-benefits in governing urban greening is essential.