In public or political affairs, civic engagement in transitioning from institutional channels to less formal modes of participation, which have an immediate impact on the local space. For example, greening projects have emerged to address issues such as climate change or to challenge institutional urban planning and practices. These small-scale gardening and greening initiatives can be seen as a way to re-mobilize inhabitants and even involve them in urban planning. But is this the case? How do citizens frame their role and relationship with the public space, and in terms of the local administration? Also, NGOs and other groups acting as ‘mediators’ in the process facilitate civic action, but how do citizens feel about the actions of these facilitators?

Based on an action-research project carried out in Quebec City (Quebec, Canada), we address what it means to take part in greening projects at a micro-scale. Using participant observations, 20 interviews, and field notes, we look at how such projects operate and evolve. The greening projects that were studied benefited from the support of the NGO, which acted as a facilitator throughout the process. This contextualized facilitation allowed the initiative to gain momentum socially, politically, and spatially.

在公共或政治事务中，公民参与从机构渠道过渡到非正式形式的参与模式，这对当地空间产生了直接影响。例如，已经出现了绿化项目，以解决诸如气候变化之类的问题或挑战体制性城市规划和实践。这些小规模的园艺和绿化举措可以看作是重新动员居民，甚至让他们参与城市规划的一种方式。但是是这样吗？公民如何在公共场所以及地方行政管理方面确定自己的角色和关系？此外，在此过程中，非政府组织和其他充当“调解人”的团体也促进了公民行动，但是公民对这些促进者的行动有何看法？

基于在魁北克市（加拿大魁北克）开展的一项行动研究项目，我们阐述了参与微型绿化项目的意义。通过参与者的观察，20次访谈和现场笔记，我们了解了此类项目的运作和发展方式。研究的绿化项目得益于非政府组织的支持，该组织在整个过程中都起到了促进作用。这种情境化的促进使得该计划在社会，政治和空间上都获得了动力。