Spatial planning for urban biodiversity: clashing values and transformative middle grounds in Rijeka (Croatia)

This contribution investigates the planning narratives associated with urban biodiversity (UB) and analyses the obstacles and challenges that emerge to acknowledge UB in spatial plans. The case study investigated in the research is the city of Rijeka, the largest seaport in Croatia, currently experiencing a phase of transition that is redefining the city’s identity, with a focus on openness, inclusiveness, and diversity. The research has highlighted the emergence of several policy tensions that are representative of a clash between the values that each social group assigns to urban biodiversity. Alongside the presence of these policy tensions and clashing values, the research has demonstrated that the formation of middle ground spaces between institutions and civil society is shaping arenas for policy experimentation in the field of nature preservation and restoration that can result in better acknowledging urban biodiversity at the level of statutory plans and planning policies.