Abigail Gilmore is Senior Lecturer in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research is on culture, public policy and place with recent projects on everyday participation, local governance and the move beyond the ‘creative city’ in place-based policymaking.

• Chapter 1: Introduction: why parks matter.- Chapter 2: A brief history of parks and policy formation.- Chapter 3: Close encounters.- Chapter 4: Parks as cultural institutions.- Chapter 5: Managing the commons.- Chapter 6: Conclusions: Parks and their cultural politics in the 21st Century.

Abigail Gilmore is Senior Lecturer in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research is on culture, public policy and place with recent projects on everyday participation, local governance and the move beyond the ‘creative city’ in place-based policymaking.

• Chapter 1: Introduction: why parks matter.- Chapter 2: A brief history of parks and policy formation.- Chapter 3: Close encounters.- Chapter 4: Parks as cultural institutions.- Chapter 5: Managing the commons.- Chapter 6: Conclusions: Parks and their cultural politics in the 21st Century.

Abigail Gilmore is Senior Lecturer in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research is on culture, public policy and place with recent projects on everyday participation, local governance and the move beyond the ‘creative city’ in place-based policymaking.

• Chapter 1: Introduction: why parks matter.- Chapter 2: A brief history of parks and policy formation.- Chapter 3: Close encounters.- Chapter 4: Parks as cultural institutions.- Chapter 5: Managing the commons.- Chapter 6: Conclusions: Parks and their cultural politics in the 21st Century.