Nurturing urban environmental stewardship – a case study of Greenpoint, Brooklyn New York

Abstract: The benefits of engagement in civic ecology practices and stewardship of urban green space areincreasingly recognized in supporting human health and well-being, providing ecosystem servicesin urban environments and enabling learning and interaction with local ecosystems. There is still a lack in knowledge on how stewardship develops in urban landscapes and how itmay be nurtured and supported. Retrieving additional knowledge on this subject will help guidepolicy and create institutional arrangements that enhance stewardship in order to strengthen itspotential as an innovative force and community asset in improving local urban environments. This exploratory study draws upon current research from the Stewardship Mapping Assessment Project (STEW-MAP) in New York and examines a case study of urban environmental stewardship in the neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn in New York City. It sets out to describe and analyze the structure and key roles of a network of stewardship groupsand individuals, and further the role of a temporary fund that supports activities related to environmental improvements in Greenpoint. Findings reveal a few core groups and individuals that are crucial for the local environmental community. The study also shows that connections to local politicians are an important component for these groups to achieve agency on a local level, and that an arrangement such asthe studied fund can function to strengthen relationships among the local groups.