COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF GREEN OPEN SPACES IN MAKASSAR CITY

Abstract

The management of green open space (RTH) in urban areas can no longer be carried out unilaterally by the government, but requires collaborative governance that involves the active participation of the community. This study aims to evaluate the level of community participation in collaborative governance-based RTH management in Makassar City. The study used a descriptive quantitative approach with questionnaires distributed to 60 respondents selected through proportionate stratified random sampling from a population of 240 community members and residents around the four main RTH areas of Makassar City. Data were analyzed using descriptive percentage analysis based on four dimensions of community participation, namely participation in planning, participation in implementation, participation in the utilization of results, and participation in supervision and evaluation. The results of the study showed that the overall community participation rate reached 76.74%, which was included in the participation category. Among the four dimensions, participation in implementation obtained the highest score (84.60%), followed by participation in the utilization of results (81.30%), participation in planning (72.15%), and participation in supervision and evaluation (68.90%). Although generally effective, this study found that public involvement at the planning and evaluation stages still needs to be strengthened through more inclusive and transparent public consultation mechanisms. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence regarding community participation in RTH management in the context of metropolitan cities in the Eastern Region of Indonesia which is still limited to study. These findings affirm the importance of strengthening collaborative mechanisms between the government, the community, and the private sector to realize sustainable and needs-based management of green open spaces.