Analysis of Actors’ Interests and Needs in Maintaining Urban Green Systems in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Abstract

Maintenance of urban green systems is increasingly favored amongst scholars and policy-makers as an important parameter within sustainable cities framework. Yet, in most cities of the Global South, the maintenance of green systems is in part constrained by the divergent and dynamic interests of multiple actors. This study examines on mechanisms of synchronizing actors’ interests synergistically to influence the maintenance of urban green systems and contribute to sustainable cities development. The study adopted a case study design to investigate actor’s interests and needs and their influence in maintaining urban green systems in the studied green systems of Mbweni, Kijichi and Buyuni in Dar es Salaam City. Data were collected through interviews with national level government agencies, municipal level authorities, household interviews and consultation with local leaders. The study revealed that different actors had similar and divergent interests and needs on urban green systems and no mechanism existed to synchronize actor’s interests. The study also demonstrated that the maintenance of urban green system is affected by power relations among actors which affect decision-making at the community level while reflecting actors’ needs. This study concludes that urban green system is composed by various actors with different needs and power relations that obstruct the collective effective maintenance of green systems. The study proposes the need for synergistically synchronizing the actors’ diverse and conflicting interests as well as their power relations.