Mechanisms of Change in Urban Green Infrastructure—Evidence from Romania and Poland

The extent and continuity of green infrastructure can be adjusted by planning. Depending on the sense of the adjustment, the process can lead to a vicious cycle, resulting in poorer urban quality, or to a virtuous planning, thus leading to psychological wellbeing and sustainability. However, socioeconomic circumstances also play an important role in managing green infrastructure. Starting from these premises, the current study aims to take an in-depth look at the mechanisms of change in urban green infrastructure and provide concrete planning recommendations for dealing with the green infrastructure. It is based on a complex approach, combining an ecological design, including geo-statistical analyses of the structure and dynamics of different categories of green infrastructure in all Romanian and Polish cities covered by the Urban Atlas data during 2006–2018, with selected case studies for analyzing the deeper mechanisms and drivers of change in green infrastructure, and focusing on the role of different planning actors. The results indicate that green infrastructure was lost in all the cities analyzed, regardless of the different planning systems of the two countries. Based on this, specific recommendations can be phrased for all stakeholders of the planning process, including planners, local administrations, policy makers, and scientists.