Spazio pubblico e strategie di cooperazione intercomunale. Una Green Network in Scozia

Building public space at a supra-municipal scale, intended both as a spatial and an administrative dimension, needs a strong relationship among local authorities, that goes beyond the simple sharing of elementary functions to define an efficient cooperation model, aimed at achieving common goals. In the United Kingdom, the complex articulation of local government and the strength of the centralized administrative system have determined the conditions for which inter-municipal cooperation has been defined as a ‘missing ingredient’. The municipal association between institutions has been practiced both as a contractual agreement between a supra-ordinate body and subordinate bodies (top-down model), or as a response to the directives imposed by the central government. Recently, in more parts of the UK, the establishment of supralocal bodies in which more local authorities play a role, has defined cooperation as an eco-systemic approach that promotes integrated management of soil, water and biological resources from an inclusive and sustainable development perspective. In this framework, the construction of green networks represents the opportunity for the regeneration of public space, as shown in the case study of the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network, in Scotland. The networking of green spaces, parks, wetlands and cycle paths becomes a shared strategy among eight local authorities (Clydeplan) to connect about a third of Scotland’s population and its natural and cultural heritage