Towards more socially-ecologically innovative regions: considerations for the field of spatial planning and environment

Sustainable development is needed now more than ever. Nevertheless, environmental crises, social disparities, and health threats constantly demonstrate that the common ways of doing things, including traditional planning practice and top-down governance, are untenable if we intend to improve our wellbeing and that of future generations. Engaging with such challenges requires a response that is capable of coping with the speed of social-environmental change, while at the same time is able to implement provocative but effective solutions for society as a whole. This book examines the creation, renewal, and transformation of social relations and governance processes that aim to satisfy social-spatial needs and address social-ecological challenges, in other words, social innovation. To empirically analyse social innovation and its significance for social-ecological regional development, case study research was conducted in the Huetar-North region of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is recognised globally because it excels in nature conservation, and is positioned among the top countries in Latin America in social-economic performance. By building on theory and practice, this book enhances understanding of and inspires strategies for regional development and regional planning, especially within the context of the governance of social-ecological systems.