Biodiversity in the planning process of ‘The City Island project’: A discourse analysis on the influence of biodiversity discourses on the municipality of Nijmegen in the planning process for the City Island project

Abstract

This bachelor’s thesis researches the influence of biodiversity discourses on the municipality of Nijmegen in the planning process for the City Island. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the role of biodiversity in this project. To investigate this, a qualitative research was used with a literature study and three interviews with various relevant respondents, each with their own expertise. A domain-specific literature study was also carried out beforehand, which provided a good basis for the research. From this, three biodiversity discourses were identified: 'nature as a priority', 'sharing space with nature' and 'no room for nature'. By means of a discourse analysis, the biodiversity discourses are determined from the documents and reports found in the literature study and the interviews. Overall, the biodiversity discourses "nature as a priority" and "sharing space with nature" stood out the most in the findings analyses and had the greatest impact on the municipality of Nijmegen throughout the planning of the City Island project.