Urban Collective Action Around Green Spaces: A Case of Lithuania

Urban green spaces are important landscapes that provide urban residents spaces for physical activity, and social interaction and may accelerate local community building. However, the urban planning process often is characterized by formal citizen participation, and the needs of local residents with green spaces are often not taken into account.

The focus of the study is protest mobilization and repertoires of collective actions against the decision of the local government to build a road at the expense of green spaces in the Šančiai neighborhood. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation, the study concludes that experiential tools are important in promoting a sense of belonging and solidarity within community. The highly creative experiential tools allow to attract national mass media attention, make the community issue more visible, and foster mobilization of supporters outside the community.