South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics

Balai Desa Field is a key neighborhood green open space in a dense district of Medan, Indonesia, yet faces declining physical quality and limited community involvement. This study examines how the physical condition and governance of the field shape community participation, and how participatory strategies can support its development. A descriptive–analytical case study design was employed, combining a questionnaire survey of 100 residents, field observations, semi-structured interviews, a focus group discussion, chi-square tests, and SWOT–IFE–EFE analysis. Results indicate that vegetation and accessibility are perceived as “good” or “adequate” by the vast majority of respondents, whereas public facilities (toilets, lighting, children’s play equipment, pedestrian paths) are widely rated as inadequate or poor. Participation is modest and episodic, concentrated in idea- and labor-based contributions through government-initiated gotong royong (collective mutual-help work), and corresponds to tokenistic levels of informing and consultation on Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation. Chi-square analysis shows significant associations between vegetation conditions and idea- and goods-based participation, and between facility availability/condition and labor- and skill-based participation, but no significant relationships with financial contributions. The IFE (2.90) and EFE (2.84) scores place Balai Desa Field in a “growth-oriented” quadrant, indicating that internal strengths and external opportunities outweigh weaknesses and threats. The study proposes three priority strategies—adopt-a-plant/plot, regular “Green Gotong Royong,” and a community-led “Green Expression Space”—to move governance from top-down management toward more collaborative, community-based green open space stewardship.