1

Community green: using local spaces to tackle inequality and improve health

2

Contents

1 Introduction 3

2 Literature and project review 9

3 The household survey 18

4 Key findings and conclusion 40

Bibliography 45

Appendices 49

3

1 Introduction

Thereportdemonstratesthatimprovingurbangreenspacerepresentsanimportantandcost-effectiveopportunityforpeopletotransformtheirlocalneighbourhoodsandimprovetheirqualityoflife.Localpeoplearebestplacedtoknowthebenefitsthatgood-qualitygreenspacescontributetotheircommunity.Buttheyhavenotalwayshadtheopportunitytodirectimprovementstotheirlocalenvironment.

Achangedpoliticalandeconomiclandscapewillincludeafundamentallydifferentrelationshipbetweenlocalpeopleandlandowners,includingregisteredsocialhousingprovidersandlocalauthorities.Themostobviousopportunityisimprovingtheopenspaceonsocialhousingestates.Chapter4setsoutthefindingsfromthestudy.

Background to the study

Sustainedinvestmentinrecentyearsarrestedthehistoricdeclineofpublicurbangreenspaces,especiallyparks.Peopleareusingtheirparksandgreenspacesmore,andvaluethemmore.Almostnineoutof10peopleuseparksandgreenspacesandvaluethisusefortheirhealthandwellbeing.2Butevenduringthisperiodofrelativeprosperity,noteverywherebenefitedequally.

ThisstudyfollowsearlierresearchcommissionedbyCABE,Urban green nation: building the evidence base,whichexploredover70majordatasourcestodiscoverwhatthequantitativedatasaysaboutEngland’spubliclyownedandmanagedurbangreenspace.Itfoundthatifyouliveinadeprivedinner-cityareayouhaveaccesstofivetimesfewerpublicparksandgood-qualitygeneralgreenspacethanpeopleinmoreaffluentareas.3

Inthissecondpieceofresearch,Community green: using local spaces to tackle inequality and improve health,wefocusedonethnicitybecausediversityisincreasing.Itisnolongeraccuratetotalkaboutethnic‘minorities’insomeareas.Inthelastdecadetherehasbeenalargeincreaseinthepercentageofblackandminorityethnicyoungpeople.Forinstance,halfoftheBangladeshipopulationinBritainisundertheageof21.4

Community green uniquely investigates the inter-relationship between urban green space, inequality, ethnicity, health and wellbeing. It is the largest study of its kind in England.1

Some of the most acute effects of deprivation are felt by black and minority ethnic communities living on a low income in urban areas. The poor quality of their local environment has a considerable impact on their health and wellbeing.

People living in deprived urban areas recognise and appreciate the value of local green spaces, but they underuse the spaces that are most convenient because these spaces are often poor quality and feel unsafe. The study found, for instance, that less than 1 per cent of people living in social housing reported using the green space on their estate.

‘ Cultural diversity enriches and vitalises collective life, and is desirable not only for minority communities but also for the society as a whole. It adds a valuable aesthetic dimension to society, widens the range of moral sympathy and imagination, and encourages critical self-reflection…When the public realm prizes uniformity, diversity tends to be devalued throughout society’5Professor Bhikhu Parekh

1 ResearchbyOPENspaceresearchcentre,EdinburghCollegeofArt,incollaborationwithHeriot-WattUniversity.

2 Urban green nation: building the evidence baseCABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

3 Urban green nation: building the evidence baseCABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

4 Ethnicity and family: relationships within and between ethnic groups,Platts,2009www.cabeurl.com/c2

5 www.cabeurl.com/d9

4

Health, ethnicity and inequality

Urban green nationalsorevealedthatinareaswheremorethan40percentofresidentsareblackorminorityethnicthereis11timeslessgreenspacethaninareaswhereresidentsarelargelywhite.Andthespacestheydohavearelikelytobeofapoorerquality.

Althoughwhereyouliveandtheservicesyoureceiveisintimatelyrelatedtoincome,ourresearchfoundadifference,byethnicity,thatwasoverandabovewhatwouldbeexpectedforlevelofincomealone.

ThemajorityoftheUK’sblackandminorityethniccommunitiesliveinthemostdeprivedwardsinEnglishinner-cities.ThepovertyrateforBritain’sblackandminorityethnicresidentsoverallis40percent,doubletherateforwhiteBritishpeople.Furthermore,childpovertyishighest,upto74percentamongBangladeshichildren.6

Therelationshipbetweenlowincomeandpoorhealthfollowsasocialgradient.7Peoplelivingonalowincomearemorelikelytoexperienceworsehealthandbelessphysicallyactive.

The2010MarmotReviewofhealthinequalitiesrevealedthatthegapinlifeexpectancybetweentherichandpoorisgreaterinEnglandthaninthreequartersoftheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)countries.8

Inaddition,somegroupsreportworsehealth.BangladeshiandPakistanipeopleandAfrican-Caribbeanwomen,forinstance,aremorelikelytoreportbadorverybadhealthcomparedtothegeneralpopulation.9

Thisinequalitymatters.Somepeoplemustmanageagreaternumberofburdensyethavefewereconomicandenvironmentalassetsorresourcestodrawupon.

Historically,poorareasintownsandcitieshavebeenexposedtoalargershareofenvironmentalrisksanddangers.Inachangingclimatetheyarealsomostlikelytosufferdisproportionately.Forexample,theyaremorelikelytofloodandtoexperiencetheurbanheatislandeffect.

Planningforthefuturemusttakethisintoaccountandensuresomeareasarenotmorelikelytobehazardoustohealthandwellbeingthanothers.

Providinggood-qualitygreenspaceisahugelyeffectivewaytotackletheseinequalities.Greenspacehasbeenproventoreducetheimpactofdeprivation,deliverbetterhealthandwellbeingandcreateastrongcommunity.Thesimplepresenceofgreenspaceisrelatedtoareducedriskofseriousproblemslikedepressionandlungdisease.Livingclosetogreenspacereducesmortality,whichcanhelpreducethesignificantgapinlifeexpectancybetweenrichandpoor.10

TheLiverpool city green infrastructure strategyidentifiesareasofthecitywhereclimatechangemayhaveaparticularimpact.Ithighlightsarelationshipbetweenhighlevelsofcoronaryheartdiseaseandpoormentalhealthandlowquantitiesofgreenspaceinpartsofthecity.Thestrategy’sactionplansetsout37actionstoensurethatgreeninfrastructureisbuiltintoproposalstodeliverhealthandwellbeingbenefitsandhelpaddresspotentialissuesthat,ifnotaddressed,willariseinthelongterm.11

6 Ethnicity and family: relationships within and between ethnic groups,Platts,2009www.cabeurl.com/c2

7 Focus on health,BajekalandOsbourne,2006.8 Fair society, healthy livesTheMarmotReview,Strategicreviewofhealth

inequalitiesinEnglandpost-2010,2010.ForalistoftheOECDcountrieswww.cabeurl.com/c3

9 The health of minority ethnic groups,HealthsurveyforEngland,2004www.cabeurl.com/c4

10 Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an observational population study,Mitchell,RandPopham,F,TheLancet:372,2008.

11 The Liverpool city green infrastructure strategy,MerseyForestCommissionedbyLiverpoolCityCouncilonbehalfofLiverpoolFirstforHealthandWellBeing,2010.

5

The study methodology

Thereislittleresearchinvestigatingincomeandraceinequalitiesinrelationtourbangreenspaceprovisionanduse.Whilealotisalreadyknownabouttherelationshipsbetweenincomeandethnicity,andincomeandhealth,therehavebeenveryfewstudiesthatlookathowgreenspace,ethnicityordeprivation,andhealtharerelated.Ahandfulofstudieshavelookedatthiswithinthecontextofurbanareas.Fewarelargescale.Thisstudyfillsasignificantinformationgap.

Thestudysetouttoinvestigate:

1.Howsignificantthequalityofurbangreenspaceistothehealthandwellbeingofdifferentsocio-economicandethniccommunitieslivinginsixdeprivedurbanareasofEngland

2.Theimpactofvaryingqualityofurbangreenspaceonhealthandwellbeingintheseareas.

Itfocusesonsixdeprivedandethnicallydiversestudyareas.However,wefoundlessonsthatareapplicabletoallneighbourhoods,regardlessoftheirlevelofmaterialdeprivationorsizeoftheirminorityethnicpopulation.

Pairsofurbanareaswerechosenfromthreeregions:

twointheGreaterManchesterarea–GreaterManchesterAandGreaterManchesterB

twointheWestMidlands–WestMidlandsAandWestMidlandsB

twoinLondon–LondonAandLondonB.

Theareaswerechosenbecauseoftheirhighlevelofdeprivation,highpercentageofblackandminorityethnicpopulationsandbecausetheycontainedgreenspacesofdifferentlevelsofquality.12Informationonthequantityandqualityofgreenspaceintheareaswasdrawnfrom Urban green nation.Thepairsofareasinthethreeregionscontainedsimilaramountsofgreenspace:nolessthan20percentandnomorethan45percentoftheirtotalarea.13

Thisstudyusedarangeofqualitativeandquantitativeresearchmethods:

Aliteraturereviewofover100publicationsandarticlesonurbangreenspace,deprivationandethnicityanditscontributiontohealthandwellbeing.Areviewof50projectsengagingpeopleinthedesign,ownershipandmanagementoflocalurbangreenspacesupplementedtheresultsoftheliteraturereview.Theresultsaresetoutinchapter2.

523face-to-face,45-minute-longfacilitatedinterviewswithwhiteBritish(22percentofinterviewees),Pakistani(22percent),Bangladeshi(17percent),blackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbean(12percent)andIndianpeople(11percent).14Peoplewereaskedhowimportanttheirlocalgreenspacesareinrelationtootherfactorsinmakinganarea‘agoodplacetolive’.Thesurveyalsoaskedpeopleabouttheirhealth,theiruseofgreenspace,thequalityoftheirlocalgreenspacesandhowimprovementstotheirlocalspaceswouldaffecttheiruse,andlevelsofphysicalactivity.

Focusgroupsdiscussinghowaccessto,anduseof,urbangreenspaceaffectshealthandwellbeingamongresidentsinfourofsixofthecasestudyareasandfacilitatedaudits,involvingcommunitymembersandprofessionals,toassessthequalityandprovisionofgreenspaceinallthecasestudyareas.Theresultsaresetoutinappendices3and4.

Wefoundthatpeoplewereverywillingtotalktousabouttheirlocalgreenspaces,especiallythosehouseholdswithchildren.15Theresultsofthesurveyaresetoutinchapter3.

12 Indicesofmultipledeprivationdata.Areaschosenfromthetop20percentofdeprivedneighbourhoods.

13 Informationonquantityofgreenspacewasderivedfromthegeneralisedlandusedatabase(GLUD)andCABEgreenspacedata.Urban green nationoutlinesthestrengthsandweaknessesofGLUDforcalculatingquantityofgreenspaceinurbanareaswww.cabeurl.com/cf

14 16percentofpeoplewerefromotherblackandminorityethnicgroupsthatincludeddualheritagepeople,ChineseandTurkishpeople.African-CaribbeanandblackAfricanintervieweeswerecombinedintoonegroupforanalysisduetosmallstudynumbers.

15 68percentofpeopleweaskedagreedtotakepartinthesurvey.

6

Environmental justice and inclusion

Theterm‘environmentaljustice’begantoappearwithinmainstreampoliticaldebatesintheUKinthelate1990s.Othercountrieshavealongerhistory.Forinstance,inIndiainthe1970s,theChipkoandAppikomovementswerefoundedtofightagainstdeforestationandfortherightsofthepeoplewhodependedontheforestfortheirlivelihood.

‘ A vital sense of belonging and ownership of the environment at large is a basic building block for the care of the environment….There is a whole field of work to be done with regard to the research and expression of the multicultural fact of Britain’s landscape.’ Judy Ling Wong, Director, BEN 18

ThedutytopromoteraceequalitywasenshrinedintheRaceRelations(Amendment)Act2000.Nonetheless,in2001,ProfessorJulianAgyemanarguedthatblackandminorityethnicpeoplecontinuetobe:‘ Routinely short-changed by a systematic indifference to their environmental and planning needs.’19

Therecognitionofequityandjusticewithinenvironmentalmanagementandpolicyisintimatelyrelatedtosustainability.Forinstance,the1999UKSustainableDevelopmentStrategystatesthateverybodyshouldshareequallythebenefitsofacleanandsafeenvironment.Futuregenerations,andthoselivingelsewhereintheworld,shouldnotbetreatedunfairlyinthepursuitofourownneeds.20

‘ The principles of environmental justice are pretty simple. Living in a clean and healthy environment is everyone’s right. The most vulnerable people with the least power and money see these rights denied on a daily basis. For example, air pollution, the siting of hazardous installations, flooding, inadequate enforcement of environmental laws, bad urban planning; or simply not having any access to the natural environment’ Capacity Global16

16 CapacityGlobalisaUKbasednon-governmentalorganisationandsocialenterprisewhichworksonenvironmentaljusticeissues.Itworkswithpeopleandcommunitiesinurbanareaswhosufferfromsocial,environmentalandeconomicdeprivation,toensuretheirvoicesgetheardwww.capacity.org.uk/

17 www.ben-network.org.uk/18 All colours green,articleforNewground–themagazineofLabour’s

environmentalcampaignSpring1997.19 Ethnic minorities in Britain: Short change, systematic indifference and

sustainable development,Agyeman,J,2001,Journalofenvironmentalpolicyandplanning(3).

20 www.cabeurl.com/da

InKenya,WangariMaataiestablishedtheGreenBeltMovementinthelate1970stopromoteenvironmentalconservationandcommunitydevelopmentwithwomenlivinginpoorruralareas.AndinAmerica,therecognitionofthesocialdimensionsofexposuretoenvironmentalriskemergedinthe1980sthroughtheworkofgrassrootscommunityactivists.Womenwereoftenprominentinthesemovements.

Priortothe1990s,workaroundinclusionintheenvironmentalsectorintheUKwasexpressedunderthebannerof‘equalityofopportunity’.In1989,workbyenvironmentalthinkerssuchasProfessorJulianAgyemanandJudyLingWongculminatedintheestablishmentoftheBlackEnvironmentNetwork(BEN).17

Establishedtofacilitateparticipationofallethnicitiesintheuse,enjoymentandprotectionoftheenvironment,BENchallengedthetraditionalfocusofnatureconservationandhighlightedtheimportanceoffocusingattentiononencouragingaccesstonatureforallpeople.BENarguesthatthereisnosuchthingasapurelyenvironmentalproject–thespecificsocial,culturalandeconomiccontextmustalwaysbetakenintoaccount.

7

CABE’spublicationFuture health: sustainable places for health and wellbeingsetsouthowgooddesignmakeshealthyplaces.21TheVenndiagramshowstheinter-relationshipbetweenhealth,wellbeingandsustainability,andhowqualitydesigntoaddressonecanbenefittheothers.

HEALTH

WELLBEING SUSTAINABILITY

QUALITYDESIGN

Theagendaofenvironmentaljusticeorequitycontinuestoevolve.Forinstance,localauthoritysustainabledevelopmentstrategiesarenowrequiredtoaddressequityandjusticeissuesandensurethattheperspectivesofblackandminorityethnicgroupsareincorporated.Atanationallevelpolicies,suchasDEFRA’sOutdoorsforAllstrategy,aimstoimproveequalityofaccesstourbanandruralopenspaceoverthenext10years.22

Thefollowingchaptersofthisreportsetouttheresultsoftheresearch.

21 www.cabeurl.com/e122 www.cabeurl.com/db

Figure 1: Health, wellbeing and sustainability

8

Defining deprivationDeprivationcanbedefinedintermsofincomepovertyandthedeprivationofmaterialgoodssuchashousing,clothingandheat,alongsidesubjectivemeasuressuchashowpeopleonalowincomefeel.23MostresearchinEnglandusestheindicesofmultipledeprivation(IMD)whichcombineseveralindicators,coveringarangeofeconomic,socialandhousingissues,intoasingledeprivationscore.24Thisstudyusedinformationfromtheindexofmultipledeprivationasonecriterionfortheselectionofthecasestudyareas.

Defining wellbeingWellbeingisatermthatisusedinterchangeablywithqualityoflife,happinessandsatisfaction.ThisstudyusedtheWorldHealthOrganisation’sdefinitionofwellbeing: ‘health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.25

Inaddition,thisstudydrewontheworkofMcAllisterwhichrecognisestheneedforbothobjectiveandsubjectivemeasuresofwellbeing.26Thisdefinesthemainareasofwellbeingas:

• physicalhealth• incomeandwealth• relationships• meaningfulworkandleisure• personalstability• lackofdepression.

Thestudyfocusedonphysicalandmentalhealth,relationshipsandmeaningfulleisure,asthesearetheareasknowntohavearelationshipwithaccesstoanduseofgreenspace.

Defining ethnicityKeycharacteristicsofethnicityareasenseofbelongingandasharedhistoryandculturalknowledge.AnethnicgroupisdefinedbyBhikhuParekhinThe future of multi-ethnic Britainas:

‘A group of people who share common historical experiences, a cluster of cultural beliefs and practices, a broad collective consciousness of belonging together, and see themselves and are seen by others as more or less distinct.’27

Ethnicityismoredifficulttocategorisethandeprivation.28Ithasanumberofingredients.Itmayincludeasharedreligionorlanguage,butitmaynot.Thereappearstobelittleconsensusonappropriatetermstousewhendescribingdifferentgroupsofpeoplethatoriginatefromdifferentpartsoftheworld.29Thisstudy’sliteraturereviewfoundthatvariouscategorisationsofethnicgroupwereusedacrossdifferentresearchstudies.Mosttypicallyitwasthe2001census’s15categoriesofethnicity.

Thisreportusestheterminology‘blackandminorityethnicpeople’butwhereverpossibleitidentifiesthespecificethnicgroup,forinstanceBangladeshiorAfrican-Caribbean,towhichtheresearchisreferring.Itisrecognisedthatthisisnotperfect–ethnicityisdynamic,openandfluid,constantlyundergoingadaptationandchange.30

Ethnicitywasself-reportedinourstudy’ssurvey.Intervieweeswereaskedwhichethnicgrouptheybelongedto.Thesurveywasflexible.Intervieweescouldnameanotherethnicgroupiftheyfeltthecategoriesofethnicityusedwereunsuitable.

23 Poverty and ethnicity in the UK,areportfortheJosephRowntreeFoundation,Platts,2006www.cabeurl.com/cl

24 Fromsevendomainsofdeprivation:income,employment,health,education,housing,livingenvironmentandcrime.

25 www.cabeurl.com/dd26 Wellbeing concepts and challenges: discussion paper,McAllister,F,2005.27 The future of multi-ethnic Britain,Parekh,2001.28 Thestudyfocusesonethnicitytoallowawideranalysisawayfromvisible

physicaldifference.FormorediscussionontheconceptsofraceandethnicityseeThe new countryside?NealandAgyeman,2006.

29 Ethnic communities and green spaces: guidance for green space managers,BlackEnvironmentNetwork,2005.

30 Ethnicity, race and health in multicultural societies: foundations for better epidemiology, public health and health care,Bhopal,2007.

9

2 Literature and project review: health, ethnicity and inequality

Ethnicity in England

TheethnicprofileoftheUKisinarapidstateoftransition–diversityisincreasing.ThewhiteBritishpopulationaregenerallyolderandtheirpopulationgrowthisgenerallyslowerthanthoseofotherblackandminorityethnicgroups.34Inthelastdecadetherehasbeenalargeincreaseinthepercentageofblackandminorityethnicyoungpeopleandtheynowconstitute20percentofunder-16-year-olds.35ThefastestgrowinggroupsareblackAfricanpeopleandBangladeshipeople–halfoftheBangladeshipopulationisundertheageof21.36

MostoftheUnitedKingdom’sblackandminorityethnicpeopleliveinEngland:ininner-cityurbanareasandinthemostdeprivedwards.The44mostdeprivedlocalauthorityareasinEnglandcontainproportionallyfourtimesmorepeoplefromblackandminorityethnicgroupsthanotherareas.37Forty-fivepercentoftheUnitedKingdom’sblackandminorityethnicpeopleliveinLondon,andtheWestMidlandshasthesecondlargestproportionat13percent.38

Someethnicgroupsaremorelikelytoliveincertainareas.Inparticular,BangladeshiandPakistanipeoplearethemostgeographicallyconcentratedandaremostlikelytoliveindeprivedneighbourhoods.39BlackAfricansarealsoconcentrated,with83percentlivinginfivecities(London,Leeds,Sheffield,LiverpoolandCardiff).40Theconcentrationofdifferentgroupsinspecificareasshouldnotbetakentomeanthatpeopledonotwanttomoveawaytomorediverseneighbourhoods.Issuessuchaslevelofincome,unwillingnesstomoveawayfromfamilyandfriends,fearandthreatofracismcontinuetorestrictchoice.41

Housingtenurealsovariesamongdifferentblackandminorityethnicgroups.IndiansandPakistanisaremostlikelytoowntheirownhomeandblackAfricansareleastlikelyto.42BlackAfricanhouseholdsaremostlikelytorentfromalocalauthority,registeredsociallandlordorprivatelandlord.Bycontrast,African-Caribbeanhousingpatternsshowamoresuburbandistributionandhaveamuchhigherlevelofhomeownership.Bangladeshisarethemostdisadvantagedintermsofhousing.43

To date, most of the research on race and ethnicity and access to green space has focused on rural contexts.31

This study’s literature review identified existing research relating to urban green space, deprivation and ethnicity, and how access to green space contributes to wellbeing. It explored around 100 publications and articles, including international research, and over 50 practical projects engaging people in urban green space.32 The findings from this review helped inform the household survey (chapter 3).

Overall, the review found that there is a lack of in-depth research. Although most black and minority ethnic people in England live in urban areas, there are only a handful of studies offering evidence of the relationship between income inequalities, ethnicity and access to urban green space.33 Little large-scale research has looked at the relationship between use of urban green space and ethnicity.

31 FormoreinformationseeThe new countryside?AgyemanandNeal(eds),2006.32 Databasessearchedincluded;Sciencedirect,Webofknowledge,Google

scholarandPubMed.SpecificjournalssearchedincludedEnvironmentandbehaviour,Environmentandplanning,Geoforum,Journalofurbanstudiesandlandscaperesearch.Arangeofsearchtermswereused:forexample,poverty/deprivationandethnicity/raceandurbangreenspace.

33 Enclaves, neighbourhood effects and employment outcomes: ethnic minorities in England and Wales,ClarkandDrinkwater,2002andwww.cabeurl.com/cj

34 www.cabeurl.com/de35 www.cabeurl.com/c236 www.cabeurl.com/c237 Enclaves, neighbourhood effects and employment outcomes: ethnic minorities

in England and Wales,ClarkandDrinkwater,2002andwww.cabeurl.com/cj38 www.cabeurl.com/cl39 www.cabeurl.com/c2andwww.cabeurl.com/cj40 Black Africans in Great Britain: spatial concentration and segregation,Daley

2002www.cabeurl.com/dfprovidesaninteractivemapshowingthedistributionofethnicitiesbypostcodesin30citiesintheUK.

41 Planning for the Future: Housing needs and aspirations of ethnic minority communities,HousingCorporation,2008www.cabeurl.com/dg

42 The new countryside?AgyemanandNeal(eds),2006andBlack Africans in Great Britain: spatial concentration and segregation,Daley2002.

43 www.cabeurl.com/cl

10

Inequalities in income

Althoughtheeducationalachievementsandeconomicstatusofdifferentblackandminorityethnicgroupsareimprovingtherearestarkdifferencesinthepovertyrates,andintheexperienceofdeprivation,accordingtoethnicityintheUK.AllblackandminorityethnicgroupsexperienceagreaterlevelofdeprivationthanwhiteBritishgroups.45

ThepovertyrateforBritain’sblackandminorityethnicgroupsoverallis40percent,doublethatfoundamongwhiteBritishpeople.NearlyallminorityethnicgroupsarelesslikelytobeinpaidemploymentthanwhiteBritishmenandwomen.46

Table1showsthatratesofpovertyarehighestforBangladeshi,PakistaniandblackAfricanpeople,reaching65percentforBangladeshipeople.Furthermore,childpovertyratesarehighestamongBangladeshichildren(74percent).

Inequalities in the provision of urban green space

CABEresearch,Urban green nation,foundthatinurbanareasblackandminorityethnicpeopletendtohaveaccesstolesslocalgreenspaceandthespacetheydohaveisofapoorerquality.Wardsthathavealmostnoblackandminorityresidents(lessthan2percentofwardpopulation)havesixtimesasmanyparksaswardswheremorethan40percentofthepopulationarepeoplefromblackandminorityethnicgroups.Ifalltypesofpublicgreenspace,notjustparks,arelookedat,thedifferenceis11times.47

Werecognisethatthisisintimatelyrelatedtothecircularityofdisadvantagebutourresearchfound

adifference,byethnicity,overandabovewhatwouldbeexpectedforlevelofincomealone.

Theliteraturereviewforthisstudyidentifiedexistingqualitativeandquantitativeresearchoninequalityintheprovisionofurbangreenspace,deprivationandethnicity.Researchtodate,withintheUKandinternationally,haslargelyfocusedonthequantity(orpresence)ofgreenspaceinrelationtodeprivation.Thereisabiggapinresearchthatlinksthequalityofurbangreenspacetodeprivationandethnicity.ThereviewbackedupthefindingsofUrban green nation–thatpeopleindeprivedareas,wherevertheylive,receiveafarworseprovisionofparksandgreenspacesthantheiraffluentneighbours.48

ResearchbyMitchellandPophamfoundassociationsbetweenincomedeprivationandthepercentageofgreenspaceinEngland.Peoplewithlessexposuretogreenspaceweremorelikelytosufferfromdeprivationthanthosewithagreaterexposuretogreenspace.49InGlasgow,McIntyreetalfoundincomeinequalitiesinaccessinggreenspace;wealthierareashadaccesstomoreparks,tenniscourtsandbowlinggreens,althoughpoorerneighbourhoodshadahighernumberofplayareas.50

Ethnic group Percentage of UK population

Percentage of ethnic group living in

income poverty

Percentage of children by ethnic group living in

income poverty

African-Caribbean 1 30 37Bangladeshi 0.5 65 74BlackAfrican 0.8 45 56Dualheritage 1.2 32 40

Indian 1.8 25 32Pakistani 1.3 55 60White 92 20 25

Table 1: Ethnicity and poverty in the UK44

44 Informationfromwww.cabeurl.com/clandwww.cabeurl.com/d8Povertyratescalculatedafterhousingcosts.

45 www.cabeurl.com/cl46 An anatomy of economic inequality in the UK – summary,ReportoftheNational

equalitypanel,GovernmentEqualitiesOffice,2010.47 Urban green nation: Building the evidence base,CABE,2010

www.cabeurl.com/cf48 Urban green nation: Building the evidence base,CABE,2010

www.cabeurl.com/cf49 Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an

observational population study,Mitchell,RandPopham,F,TheLancet:372,2008.

50 Do poorer people have poorer access to local resources and facilities? The distribution of local resources by area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland,McIntyreetal,Socialscienceandmedicine:67:900-14,2008.

11

Urban green nationexploredaccesstogreenspaceandtypeofspaceavailable.ThisshowedthatprovisionofplayparkswasrelativelybetterindeprivedareasacrossurbanEngland.Suburbanareasgenerallyhadabiggerquantityoflargeparksandgreenspaces.51

OurliteraturereviewfoundonlyonestudyobjectivelyassessingaccesstogreenspacebyethnicityintheUK.ComberetalanalysedaccesstogreenspaceinLeicesterusingNaturalEngland’saccessiblenaturalgreenspacestandardguidelines(ANGSt).52Thisfoundinequalitiesinproximitytogreenspacebyethnicity,withIndian,HinduandSikhgroupshavingsignificantlylessaccesstogreenspaceandMuslimgroupsgreaterthanexpectedaccess.53However,proximitytogreenspacedoesnecessarilyequatewithaccessto,andactiveuseof,greenspace.

Thereisevidencefromseveralqualitativestudiesoftherelationshipbetweenpoorer-qualitygreenspace,ethnicityanddeprivation.Forinstance,researchfromLingWongshowsblackandminorityethnicpeoplereporthigherlevelsofdissatisfactionwithneighbourhoodenvironments.54PowellandRishbethreportthatblackandminorityethnicgroupintervieweesperceivedtheirlocalneighbourhoodopenspaceasneglected,offeringpoorerfacilitiesandwithpoorergeneralmaintenance.55

Urban green nationanalysedlevelsofneighbourhoodsatisfactionbyethnicity.Halfofresidentsinwardswithmorethan40percentoftheirpopulationfromblackorminorityethnicgroupsaresatisfied,comparedwith70percentinwardswithfewerthan2percent.56

OutsidetheUK,relevant(Englishlanguage)researchlookingattheprovisionofurbangreenspacesinrelationshiptoethnicityanddeprivationappearstoberestrictedtoseveralstudiesfromAmericaandAustralia.Thisresearchshouldbeviewedcautiouslysincetheresultsarecontextspecific;geographicalpatternsofwherepeopleliveaccordingtoethnicityandincomevaryconsiderablybetweencountries,aswellasthetypeandqualityofgreenspaceavailable.

Definitionofgreenspacealsodiffers,withsomestudiesaggregatinggreenspacewithotherrecreationalfacilities.However,despitethesecaveats,theinternationalliteraturedoessupportthesamepatternoffindings,withinequalitiesaccordingtoincomeandethnicityevidentinthequantityofgreenspacepeoplecanaccess.

Appendix1setsouttheresultsofthereviewofinternationalresearch.

Inequalities in health

Someethnicgroupsreportworsehealth.TheHealthSurveyforEnglandin2004foundthatBangladeshiandPakistanipeopleandAfrican-Caribbeanwomenaremorelikelytoreportbadorverybadhealthincomparisontothegeneralpopulation.PakistaniwomenandBangladeshimenweremorelikelythanthoseinthegeneralpopulationtoreportalimitinglongstandingillness.57Otherresearchsuggestsspecificethnicgroupssufferfromspecifichealthproblems.Forinstance,African-Caribbeanmensufferdisproportionatelyfromhighbloodpressureandstrokes.58

ResearchbyGriewfoundevidenceofrelationshipsbetweenhealthinequalitiesandethnicityintheUK.BlackandminorityethnicchildreninadeprivedareaofBrent,London,werefoundtobelessactivethanother(mostlywhitechildren)elsewhereofsimilarsocio-economicstatus.Thisstudysuggestsethnicityishavingagreaterimpactthanincomeonphysicalactivitypatternsinchildren.Girlsweresignificantlylessactivethanboysacrossthewholesample,andAsiangirlssignificantlylessactivethangirlsfromotherbackgrounds.59

51 Urban green nation: Building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

52 ANGStisNaturalEngland’saccessiblenaturalgreenspacestandardwhichsetsbenchmarksforensuringaccesstospacesneartowherepeoplelivewww.cabeurl.com/am

53 Using a GIS-based network analysis to determine urban greenspace accessibility for different ethnic and religious groups,Comberetal,2008,Landscapeandurbanplanning,86:103–114.

54 Culture, heritage and access to open spaces,LingWong,Judy,2007.55 Flexibility in place and meanings of place among first generation migrants,

PowellandRishbeth(unpublishedpaper).56 Urban green nation: Building the evidence base,CABE,2010

www.cabeurl.com/cf57 www.cabeurl.com/c458 Ethnic minorities in Britain: Short change, systematic indifference and

sustainable development,Agyeman,Journalofenvironmentalpolicyandplanning,3:15-30,2001.

59 To what extent do ethnicity and the built environment influence physical activity from a deprived area in London?Griew,2008.

12

The health and wellbeing benefits of access to green space

Thisstudysetouttounderstandhowthequalityofurbangreenspaceisimportantandsignificanttopeople’shealthandwellbeingandhowthiscanbeusedtomitigateinequalitiesinurbanareas.Toinformthequestionsaskedinthehouseholdsurveyaroundhealthandwellbeing(chapter3),theliteraturereviewexploredexistingrelevantevidenceinthisarea.

ResearchbyCampbelletalidentifiesneighbourhoodqualityasanoverallindicatorofqualityoflifeinEngland.Theavailabilityofparksandgreenspaces,alongsideneighbourhoodappearanceandfeelingsafewerefoundtobekeyfactorsthatcontributetoanindividual’squalityoflife.Thestudydoesnotreportanydifferencesbysocio-economicstatus.60

Ourliteraturereviewdidnotfindanyspecificstudiesthatobjectivelyevaluatedthewellbeingofdifferentethnicitiesinrelationtogreenspace.However,theliteratureonhealthinequalitiesandaccesstogreenspaceismoredeveloped.61Overall,thereisapositiverelationshipbetweenhealthandgreenspace(presenceandaccess)butcausalevidenceisstilllacking.

Physical and mental healthImportantrecentresearchbyMitchellandPophamshowsthatthepresenceofgreenspaceisassociatedwithreducedmortalityregardlessofincomelevel–indicatingtheroleofgreenspaceinhelpingtoreducehealthinequalitiesbetweenrichandpoor.Theirstudyexplorestherelationshipbetweengreenspaceandmortalityrates(allcauses)andspecificmortalityrates(forcirculatorydisease,lungcancerandintentionalself-harm)acrossfourincomegroups.

Thepoorestincomegroupwasfoundtobenefitthemostfromproximitytogreenspaceintermsofreducedmortality,althoughthenatureofanycauseandeffectrelationshipcouldnotbeestablishedbythestudy.Thenegativerelationshipbetweenaccesstogreenspace(definedbyproximityratherthanuse)andpoorhealthwasparticularlystrongforcirculatorydiseases(cardio-vascular)wherestressandlackofphysicalactivitymayhavecausalroles.62

Inanearlierstudy,MitchellandPophamfoundlower-incomesuburbsinEnglandwithahigherpercentageofgreenspacealsohadpoorerhealth.Theimpactofproximitytogreenspacewasreducedhere,suggestingqualityaswellasquantityofgreenspaceinfluencesthelevelofbenefittohealth.63

SimilarepidemiologicalresearchintheNetherlandshasfoundsystematiclinksbetweenhealthandgreenspaceatlargepopulationlevels.Threestudiesfoundpositiverelationshipsbetweenhealth(physicalandmental)andthepercentageof,andproximityto,greenspace.64Forinstance,Maasetalfoundanassociationbetweengreenspaceandreducedriskfor15outof24diseasesexamined,andparticularlyinrelationtoanxiety,depressionandrespiratorydisease.65

Greenspacehasbeenlinkedwithenvironmentsthatarebothmorewalkableandmoreplayable,withaestheticsandstreetconnectivityinfluencingpatternsofuse.66Physicalactivityplaysakeyroleinthepreventionofspecificdiseasesthatincludecardio-vasculardisease,depressionandobesity.

RodgersandLyonsfoundtheprevalenceofobesity-relatedchronicdiseasewaslowerindeprivedareasthattheyassessedasmorewalkable,butnotinmoreaffluentareas.67RodgersandLyonsreinforcefindingsfromMitchellandPophaminshowingthatgreenspacehasgreaterhealthbenefitswithinthepoorestcommunities.Alandmarkstudyfrom

60 Measuring quality of life: Does local environmental quality matter?Campbelletal,2007.

61 Urban green nationfoundsmall,significanteffects(butmarginal)betweengreenspacequantityandproximity(includingprivategardens)inreducingtheincidenceof‘limitinglongtermillness’.Valuingparksornaturehadastrongerbeneficialeffectwww.cabeurl.com/cf

62 Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an observational population study,Mitchell,RandPopham,F,TheLancet:

372,2008.63 Greenspace, urbanity and health: relationships in England,Mitchell,Rand

Popham,F,Journalofepidemiologyandcommunityhealth,61:681-683,2007.64 SeebibliographyfordeVries2003,Maasetal2006,Maasetal2008.65 Morbidity is related to a green living environment,Maasetal,Journalof

epidemiologyandcommunityhealth,2009.66 SeebibliographyforOwenetal2004,Nasar2008,DavisonandLawson2006.67 Does the built environment’s walkability help determine health?

RodgersandLyons,2008.

13

Japan,showsalinkbetweenaccesstowalkablegreenspaceandlongevity.68GreenspacehasalsobeenlinkedwithreducedobesityinchildrenandyoungpeopleinalargestudyinAmerica.69

Severalstudiesinourliteraturereviewlookedatthevalueofgreenspaceforpsychologicalrestorationsuchasrecoveryfromfatigueandstress.Thereisnowconsiderableevidencethatcontactwithnaturecanpromoteimprovedmood,improvedattention,reducedstressandanxietyandreducedseverityofattentiondeficithyperactivitydisordersymptomsinchildren.70WithindeprivedcommunitiesinChicago,researchhasconsistentlyshownthebenefitofgreenspacetocognitiverestoration,self-discipline,reducedaggressionandreducedcrime.71

Thequantityofgreenspaceavailableisimportant.Maasetalfoundlessgreenspaceinpeople’slivingenvironmentcoincidedwithfeelingsoflonelinessandaperceivedshortageofsocialsupport.72Communityopenspaceandnaturalsettingshavebeenfoundtoenhancesocialtiesandsenseofcommunity:first,inolderadults;second,inresidentsofAmericanurbancommunities;andthird,inresidentsofalargepublichousingdevelopmentinChicago.73

Thereisevidence,then,ofhowurbangreenspaceimpactsonqualityoflifethroughimprovedhealth,withkeybenefitsincludingstressreductionandimprovedphysicalactivity.Howurbangreenspacecontributestoqualityoflifeatthelevelofthelocalneighbourhoodenvironmentisfarlesswellunderstood.

Ethnicity and the experience and use of urban green space

Ourliteraturereviewlookedatresearchintotheexperiences,perceptionanduseofurbangreenspacebyblackandminorityethnicpeople.

Appendix2setsoutthemainresearchstudiesintheUKexploringtheexperienceanduseofgreenspaceamongdifferentethnicgroupsandincludesinformationonthestudymethodologyandtheirsamplesize.Mostofthisliteratureconfirmedthatblackandminorityethnicgroupsmainlyaccessnatureinurbancontexts–becausethisisthespacethatislocaltotheirhomes.

Theexperienceofnatureforitsownsakedoesnotappeartodiffersubstantiallyacrossdifferentethnicities.Regardlessofethnicity,theexperienceofnatureisrestorativeandassociatedwithimprovedemotionalwellbeing.Forinstance,Askinsfoundrecreationinthecountrysideisasmuchapartofblackandminorityethnic‘culture’aswhiteBritishculture,butaccesswasinhibitedbybarrierssuchasfeelingsofalienationorlackofpublictransport.74

Perceptions of safety in green spaceThemainmechanismknowntoinfluencepeople’susageofopenspace,acrossallethnicgroups,andthereforetoimpactindirectlyonhealth,isperceptionsofpersonalsafety.Maasetalhaverecentlyshownthatagreaterquantityofgreenspaceinpeople’slivingenvironmentisassociatedwithenhancedfeelingsofsocialsafety,exceptinenclosedgreenspacesinurbanareas,whereitisassociatedwithreducedsafety.75

LingWongsuggeststhat,owingtofearofcrime,blackandminorityethnicgroupsexperiencedisproportionatelymoreillhealthconsequencesresultingfromisolationandsedentarylives.76

ResearchbyRavenscroftandMarkwellfoundpublicparksinReadingweremoreaccessibletoblackandminorityethnicyoungpeoplethanothertypesofleisurefacilitybutthataccessibilityishighlylocalisedandunevenlydistributed.Neighbourhoodparkswereperceivedasbeingmostimportantbystudyparticipants,butwerealsoperceivedtobemoreraciallysegregated.Lowerlevelsofsatisfactionwereassociatedwiththeseneighbourhoodparks,

68 www.cabeurl.com/e269 Green neighbourhoods, food retail and childhood overweight: differences by

population density,Liuetal,Americanjournalofhealthpromotion,21(4),317-25,2007.

70 SeebibliographyforHartigetal2003,vandenBergetal2003OttossonandGrahn2005,Ulrichetal1991,GrahnandStigsdotter2003,Maasetal2008,FaberTaylorandKuo,2009.

71 SeebibliographyforKuo2001,FaberTayloretal2002,KuoandSullivan,2001aandKuoandSullivan,2001b.

72 Social contacts as a possible mechanism behind the relation between green space and health,Maasetal,Healthandplace,vol15(2):586-595,2009.

73 SeebibliographyforKweonetal1998,Sullivanetal2004,KimandKaplan2004,Sullivanetal2004.

74 Visible communities’ use and perceptions of the North York Moors and Peak District National Parks:ApolicyguidancedocumentforNationalParksAuthorities,Askins,2004.

75 Is green space in the living environment associated with people’s feelings of social safety?Maasetal,2009,EnvironmentandplanningA,Vol41(7),1763-1777.

76 Culture, heritage and access to open spaces,LingWong,2007.

14

inparticularamongyoungblackpeople,reflectingconcernsaboutpersonalsafety.Thisstudysuggeststhat,ratherthanfacilitatinginclusion,parkscanexacerbateexclusionandisolation.77

Arangeofstudiesfocusingontheexperiencesofblackandminorityethnicgroupshighlightedspecificbarrierstoaccessingurbangreenspace.Forinstance:

• experienceofracismandanxietyinteenagerswhoreportparksandplaygroundsastheleastsafeurbanenvironment78

• fearofbullying,restrictingaccesstoplay79

• fearofdogs,particularlyamongAfrican-CaribbeanandAsiangroupsinonestudy80

• lackoftimeandresources(includingaccesstopublictransport),leadingtosomegroupsstayingclosetohome81

• issuesofexclusionarisingfromthedominationofurbangreenspacebyothergroupsofpeople.82

Ourhouseholdsurvey(seechapter3)looksinmoredetailattherelationshipbetweenperceptionsofsafetyanduseofgreenspace.

Preferences for green spaceEverybody,regardlessoftheirethnicity,valuesspacesthatareofahighqualityandarewellmanagedandmaintained.Forinstance,Rishbethfoundthatqualityofmaintenanceandmanagementofagardenorparkwerefoundtobemoredirectlyimportantthanmulticulturaldesign.83Butsomeauthorshavesuggestedthattheaestheticresponsetopublicopenspaceisdifferentamoungdifferentethnicgroups:forexample,thepreferenceforbrightlylitfountainspopularinparksinPakistanorthetrendforelectronicmusicbroadcastsinChineseparks,whichcontrastwithaUK-basedlandscapeaesthetic.84RishbethfoundAsianandAfricanresearchparticipantswerelesslikelytobeattractedto‘wildness’comparedwithwhiteBritishparticipants–suggestingwildnessmaybeperceivedasabarriertoaccessforsomepeople.85

Thus,thereissomeevidenceofculturaldifferencesintheexperienceofurbanlandscapes,althoughtheevidenceisbynomeansconclusive.Thisissuedoesneedfurtherresearch.

Use of green space for socialising and physical activity Thesocialaspectsofnaturedoappeartodifferbypeople’sethnicity.Severalstudieshavefoundthatthesocialuseofparksbyblackandminorityethnicpeopletendstobeinlargefamilyorfriendshipgroups.Researchundertakeninruralcontextshasfoundthatmanygroups,particularlyAsianpeople,connecttothelandscapethroughfoodandpicnics.86Forinstance,EdwardsandWeldonfoundthatuseofruralnaturewasperceivedasofferinggreateropportunitiesforfamilygatheringsandsocialbondinginblackandminorityethnicgroupsthanforwhitegroups.87

Rishbethfounddistinctivepatternsofuseamongdifferentblackandminorityethnicrespondents.AsianandAfricanstudyparticipantsweresignificantlylesslikelytouseaparkforexerciseincomparisiontowhiteBritish.88AstudybyRowefoundblackandotherethnicgroupsweremuchlesslikelytoparticipateinsportinanaturalsetting.89

Thereissomerelevantinternationalresearch.Forinstance,researchinAmericafoundthatwhiteparkusersweremorelikelytovalueopenspacesfortheirnaturalisticqualities,incomparisiontoHispanicandAfricanAmericans,whovaluedthesocialopportunitiesmore.90ResearchbyGobsterfounddistinctivepatternsofphysicalandsocialuseamongdifferentminorityethnicgroupsinChicago.91

77 Ethnicity and the integration and exclusion of young people through urban park and recreation provision,RavenscroftandMarkwell,Managingleisure5:135-150,2000.

78 SeebibliographyforMadge1997,Burgessetal1988,Rishbeth200,RavenscroftandMarkwell2000.

79 Pakistani teenagers’ use of public open space in Sheffield,WoolleyandAmin,Managingleisure4:156-167,1999.

80 Public parks and the geography of fear,Madge,1997.81 Ethnic minority groups and the design of public open space: an inclusive

landscape?Rishbeth,2001,Landscaperesearch,26(4):351–366.82 SeebibliographyforRishbeth2004andAmin2002.83 Ethno-cultural representation in the urban landscape,Rishbeth,2004,Journal

ofurbandesign,9(3):311–333.84 Ethnic minority groups and the design of public open space: an inclusive

landscape?Rishbeth,2001,Landscaperesearch,26(4):351–366.85 Ethno-cultural representation in the urban landscape,Rishbeth,2004,Journal

ofurbandesign,9(3):311–333.86 SeebibliographyforWorpoleandGreenhalgh1995andBurgessetal1988.87 Race equality and the Forestry Commission,EdwardsandWeldon2006.88 Ethno-cultural representation in the urban landscape,Rishbeth,2004,Journal

ofurbandesign,9(3):311–333.89 Social inclusion in sport: the social landscape of sport – recognising the

challenge and realising the potential,Rowe,2001.90 Urban form and social context: cultural differentiation in the use of parks,

Loukaitou-Sideris,1995,Journalofplanningeducationandresearch,14:89-154.

91 Managing urban parks for a racially and ethnically diverse clientele,Gobster,2002,Leisureservices24:143-159.

15

Ourhouseholdsurveyincludedquestionsonuseofparksandaskedpeopleaboutthetypesofactivitytheyusetheirlocalgreenspacesfor(chapter3).

Ourliteraturereviewfoundverylittleresearchonhowdifferentminorityethnicgroups,ofdifferentages,usegreenspaces.WoolleyandAminshowedparkswerefrequentlyusedbyPakistaniteenagersinSheffield,withneighbourhoodparksmostvalued.Themainmotivationforvisitingwasinorderto‘bewithfriends’(48percent)followedbya‘goodatmosphere’(20percent).Themainphysicalactivitywasplayingcricketorfootball.Barrierstovisitinglocalopenspaceincluded‘nothingtodo’,lackoflocalopenspaces,lackoftimeandsafety.92

Elsewhere,researchinyoungpeoplehasshownthesefindingsarealsocommontowhiteBritishteenagerslivingindeprivedcommunities.93Agewouldthereforeseemtohavemorebearinginthiscontextthanethnicity.

Urban green space and social inclusion

Ourliteraturereviewidentifiedresearchintothewaytheurbanenvironment,andgreenspacesspecifically,promoteopportunitiesforculturalcohesion,socialintegrationandidentitydevelopmentthatweregreaterthanthoseprovidedby‘far-awaynature’.

Social integrationAthemeacrosstheexistingresearchistheabilityofurbanspacetopromotesocialintegration.94Regularencounterswithdifferentpeoplecanbeseenasthebeginningsofacommunity.MadanipourcitesexamplesacrosstheUKandEuropewhereopenspaceinitiativeshavereducedtensionsamongdiverseanddisadvantagedcommunities.95

ResearchbyDinesetalexplorestheopportunitiesthatpublicopenspacesofferfordifferentethniccommunitiestoengageinpubliclife,findingthatpublicoutdoorspacesweremostlyvaluedassocialarenas.Residentialstreets,thelocalparkorthelocalmarketarevaluedforbothcasualandorganisedencountersandareoftenakeyelementinpeople’sattachmenttoanddecisiontostayinaneighbourhood.Thevibrancyofstreetsandmarketsisupliftingandassociatedwithcuriosityandnovelty.96

Nostalgiaandopportunitiestoreminisceformedastrongthemeintheresearchreviewed,withthe

experienceofnostalgiafoundtobeparticularlystronginfirst-generationmigrants.Particularfactorsthattriggernostalgiaarespecificplantsandtheopportunities(especiallyforAsianwomen)inparksforsocialgatherings.97Topia-Kellyhighlightsgardeningasparticularlyimportantinconnectingfirst-generationAsianwomenwiththepast.98

Theabilityoflandscapetotriggermemoriesofsomethingfamiliarhelpsfacilitateasenseofbelonging.Someresearchstudieshavelookedatthefeaturesofnaturethatmayholdimportanceforsomeethnicgroups.Forinstance,Topia-KellyfoundthatEnglishroses,fuchsias,specificvegetablesandthecolourofthesoilwerefeaturesthatresonatedwiththeAsianwomenstudied.99LingWongnotesthatplantscanstimulateasenseofcontinuitybetweendifferentcultures,highlightingtheimpactofplantsfromoverseasonlandscapeswithinBritain.100

PowellandRishbethfoundfirst-generationmigrants’experienceofnegotiatingtheurbanlandscapewasakeyaspectintheprocessofacclimatisationandassimilation.Throughactiveinteractionwiththeurbanlandscape,migrantsareforcedtolearnessentialnewskills(forinstancenegotiatingpublictransportandshops).101

Rishbethdrawsanimportantdistinctionbetweenthevalueoffurther-awayurbanlandscapes,whichofferopportunitiestoexperimentortestoutnewlifeoptionsandidentities,andthelocallandscapewhichhelpscreatefeelingsofbelongingandopportunitiesforinteraction.102

92 Pakistani teenagers’ use of public open space in Sheffield,WoolleyandAmin,Managingleisure4:156-167,1999.

93 Free range teenagers: the role of wild adventure space in young people’s lives,WardThompsonetal2006.

94 SeebibliographyforMadanipour2004,PowellandRishbeth(unpublisheddraft),Dinesetal2006andBurgessetal1988.

95 Marginal public spaces in European cities,Madanipour2004,Journalofurbandesign:9(3),276-286.

96 Public spaces and social relations in East London,Dinesetal,2006.97 SeebibliographyforPowellandRishbeth(unpublisheddraft),Topia-Kelly,

2004andBurgessetal1988.98 Landscape, race and memory: biographical mapping of the routes of

British Asian landscape values,Topia-Kelly,2004,Landscaperesearch:29(3),277-292.

99 Landscape, race and memory: biographical mapping of the routes of British Asian landscape values,Topia-Kelly,2004,Landscaperesearch:29(3),277-292.

100 Culture, heritage and access to open spaces,LingWong,2007.101 Flexibility in place and meanings of place among first generation migrants,

PowellandRishbeth(unpublisheddraft)102 Ethno-cultural representation in the urban landscape,Rishbeth,2004,

Journalofurbandesign,9(3):311–333.

16

PowellandRishbethstress‘beingaway’inthecontextofgreenspaceisparticularlyimportant,relatedtotheneedforanonymityamongfirst-generationmigrants.Theimmediatepublicneighbourhoodcanplacepressuresofobligationoncertainpeoplesuchasexpectationsofrespectability,hospitalityandservice,fromwhichurbangreenspacecanoffertemporaryescape.103

Development of tolerance Atpresentthereiscontradictoryevidenceastowhetheropenspacehelpsorconfoundstheprocessofdevelopingtolerance,andmoreresearchisneededinthisarea.

Amin,reportingondeprivedneighbourhoodsinthenorthofEngland,stressesthelimitationsofpublicspaceingenerating‘interculturaldialogue’ascomparedtootherplaces(suchaswork,school,leisure)andfounddominationofthestreetbydifferentethnicgroupsatdifferenttimesofthedayworsenedracialtensions.104

ThisischallengedbyDinesetal,intheirstudyofNewham,EastLondon,whichfoundstreetspromotedethnicinteractionandtolerance.105

Projects engaging communities in urban green space

Inadditiontotheexistingliterature,over50recentprojectswerereviewedinordertoprovideinsightintohowpeopleexperiencegreenspace,whatspecificattributesofurbangreenspacearevalued,andthebenefitsfrom,andbarriersto,accessingurbangreenspace.106

Theseprojectswerechosenbecausetheyaimed,indifferentways,toengagedeprivedcommunitiesordifferentethnicitieswiththeirlocalurbangreenspace.Thereviewexploredhowtheprojectswerefacilitatedandhowthequalityofgreenspacewasevaluated.Appendix3setsouttheprojectsreviewed.107

Methodsofcommunityengagementusedbytheprojectsincluded:

eventsandactivitiessuchasurbanfarmingandcompetitionstodrawinthelocalcommunity

creativeplayandaudio-visualmethodstoengageboththeyoungandolderpeople

revealinga‘hiddenstory’behindthelandscapethatresonatesculturallyorhistorically

communityconsultationthrougheventson-site,designworkshops,discussiongroups,orvisitstoqualitygreenspaces.

Urbanfarmingandfoodwasakeymethodofengagementwithintheprojectsthatwerereviewed.

SomeprojectmanagersusedtheBlackEnvironmentNetwork(BEN)tofacilitateconsultationwithdifferentcommunities.TwoprojectsusedCABE’sSpaceshapertooltoengagewithcommunities.

‘ These park improvements have improved our quality of life. Where we were scared to walk in the park in fear of being robbed due to overgrown trees and hedges, we can now sit on comfortable seats and enjoy the open space and the flowers without being in fear” Local resident, Leyton Manor Park (Groundwork East London)

Severalprojectsreportedthatengagingwithblackandminorityethnicwomenwasaneffectivewaytoalsoengagemenandyoungpeople.Thiswasparticularlythecasewithhealthinitiatives,whereAsianwomen,forinstance,wereseenashavingauthorityinthisfield.Anotherprojectreportedthatlateafternoonwasagoodtimetocarryoutdoor-to-doorsurveys,whenchildrenandteenagerswereathomeandable,ifneeded,totranslatefortheirparents.

Mostprojectsdocumentedthebenefitsandoutcomesforareasandindividualparticipants.Theseinclude:

promotionoftheuseof,andaccessto,localgreenspace

improvedcommunitycohesionandareductioninanti-socialbehaviour

103 Flexibility in place and meanings of place among first generation migrants,PowellandRishbeth(unpublisheddraft)

104 Ethnicity and the multi-cultural city: Living with diversity,Amin,2002.105 Public spaces and social relations in East London,Dinesetal,2006.106 Projectssubmittedbyresearchadvisorygroupmembers,fromorganisations

directlycontactedbyOPENspaceandviawebsearches.OnlyprojectstakingplaceinurbanandEnglishareaswerereviewed.Asummaryoftheprojectsreviewedisinappendix3.

107 Thedataisself-reported,andthereforesubjective.Futureresearchcouldcollectobjectivedataonhealthandaccessto,andquantityof,greenspace.

17

improvedmentalhealthandopportunityforrelaxation,self-expression,releaseofenergy,funandenjoyment

improvedphysicalhealthandmotivation increasedskills(forexampleinhorticulture)

andconfidence thepromotionofsustainabilitysuchasthe

reductionofcaruse improvementsinthequalityofspecificspaces.

‘ I went to celebrations, festivals – anywhere where I knew that people were gathering. A lot of persuading and convincing was needed and I had to make a great many visits…it was a question of getting on friendly terms with people and gradually building up trust’. Asian community walking facilitator

Someprojectsdidexperiencebarriersinengagingpeople.Barriersincludedalackoffunding,andtheneedtomaintaintheenergyandmotivationtoengagespecificcommunitiesandsustainthisinvolvement.Furthermore,therewasalackoftrustincommunitieswherechangeshavebeenpromisedinthepast,butnotdelivered.Aminorityofprojectsreportedproblemswithlanguagebarriersandalackofconfidencewithinsomeparticipants.

Conclusion and research gaps

Theethnicprofileofoururbanareasischanging.MostoftheUK’sblackandminorityethniccommunitiesliveinEngland,ininnerurbanareasandinthemostdeprivedwards.Povertyratesarehighestinblackandminoritycommunities,doublethatfoundamongwhitepeople,andsomeminorityethnicgroupsreportworsehealth.

Atthesametime,inurbanareas,wardswithpopulationsofover40percentblackandminorityethnicpeoplecanhaveupto11timeslessgeneralgreenspacethanwardswithalmostnoblackandminorityethnicresidents.Andthegreenspacethattheydohaveisofapoorerquality.

Yetitisthemostdeprivedneighbourhoodsthatwillbenefitthemostfromaccess(andproximity)togreenspace.Ourliteraturereviewfoundthat

accessto,anduseof,greenspaceinurbanareaspromoteshealthandwellbeing.Furthermore,existingresearchshowshowgreenspaceplaysaroleineasingracialtensionsandbringingdiversegroupstogether,forinstancetoplayfootballorcricket,andpromotingintegrationbyprovidingspacefororganisedandcasualencounterswithneighboursanddifferentethnicgroups.

Regardlessofethnicity,theexperienceofnatureisrestorativeandassociatedwithimprovedemotionalwellbeing.Everybodyvaluesgood-qualitygreenspacethatiswellmanagedandmaintained.However,thesimplepresenceofgreenspacewithinareasdoesnotnecessarilymeanitwillbewellused.Oneofthemaininfluencesonanindividual’suseofgreenspaceishowsafetheyfeel.Researchsuggeststhatblackandminorityethnicpeoplearemorelikelytofeelunsafeandthisimpactsontheirlevelofuse.Ourhouseholdsurveyexploresthisinmoredetail.

Thesocialaspectsofaccesstogreenspacedoappeartodifferbyethnicity.Existingresearch,bothwithintheUKandinternationally,hasfounddistinctivepatternsofuseamongdifferentblackandminorityethnicpeople.However,aperson’sagedoesseemtobemoresignificantthanethnicgroup,withyoungpeoplemorelikelytoreportcommonreasonsforvisiting,andcommonbarrierstouse.Ourhouseholdsurveyaskedpeopleaboutthewaystheyusetheirlocalgreenspaces.

Overalltheliteraturereviewfoundalackofquantitativeresearchusinglargesamplesizes.Instead,mostoftheresearchreviewedtookacasestudyapproach–usingqualitativemethodsinsmallsamples,focusingonadultsratherthanonchildren.

Thereisapositiverelationshipbetweenhealthandgreenspacebutcausalevidenceisstilllacking.Ourliteraturereviewdidnotfindanystudiesthatobjectivelyevaluatedthewellbeingofdifferentethnicitiesinrelationtogreenspace.

Moreresearchisneededonthebarrierstoaccessinggreenspacesthatareatplaywellbeforesomeonedoesordoesnotuseaspecificspace.Finally,ourreviewfoundlittleresearchonpatternsofphysicalbehaviourandhowtheydifferamongdifferentethnicgroups.

18

3 The household survey: green space, ethnicity and health in six communities

Thischapterisdividedintofoursections:

1.Anoverviewofthepeopleinterviewed–includingtheirethnicity,income,tenureandself-reportedassessmentoftheirhealthandwellbeing.

2.Theroleofgreenspaceinmakinganareaa‘goodplacetolive’–ascomparedtoanumberofotherenvironmentalfactors.

3.Useoflocalgreenspace,bytypeofspaceandbyethnicity,andsatisfactionwithneighbourhoodandlocalgreenspace.

4.Linksbetweengreenspacequalityanduseandhealthandwellbeing–includingperceptionsofsafetyandchangingbehaviour.

1. The survey respondents

Theviewsof523people,fromwhiteandblackandminorityethnicgroups,werecollectedandanalysed.Between85-88peopleineachcasestudylocationagreedtotakepart,whichwascarriedoutasacomputerassistedinterview,face-to-faceinpeople’shouseholds.Thistookaround45minutestocompleteandpeoplereceiveda£5voucherfortakingpart.

Thesurveywasaimedatastructuredsampleofpeopleinthecasestudyareas.Eacharea’s‘target’samplewasconstructedtoreflecttheethnicityoflocalresidents.TheviewsofAfrican-Caribbean,Bangladeshi,blackAfrican,Indian,PakistaniandwhiteBritishpeopleweresought.Onthewholepeoplewerewillingtotalktous.Some68percentofthepeopleweaskedagreedtotakepart.Householdswithchildrenweremorelikelytoagree.

Respondentsfromdifferentethnicitieswerenotevenlydistributedacrosstheareas;forinstance,allBangladeshiintervieweeswerefromthetwoGreaterManchesterareas.

Figure2belowsetsoutthesurveyrespondentsbyareaandbytheirethnicity.Ethnicitywasself-reported.Peoplewereaskedwhichethnicgrouptheybelongedto.

Toassistwithdataanalysis,theclassificationofpeople’sethnicityisdividedintosixgroups.African-CaribbeanandblackAfricanintervieweeswerecombinedintoonegroupforanalysis.Thiswasapragmaticsolutionowingtosmallstudynumbers.

We interviewed over 500 people in the six case study areas to explore the relationship between the quality of their local green spaces, use of these spaces and their health and wellbeing.

The survey did this in two ways. First, it asked interviewees how important they thought access to green space is in relation to other factors in making an area ‘a good place to live’.

Second, interviewees were asked about their health, their use of green space, the quality of their local green spaces and how improvements to their local spaces would affect their use, and levels of physical activity. This was aimed at gaining insight into how improvements in the quality of local green space can impact on people’s use of, and levels of activity within, these spaces, and consequently their health and wellbeing.

The survey was unique in this approach. To date no other English research project of this scale has explored these issues. In addition, there is no precedent for exploring how improving green space provision might result in changing behaviours.

19

Aroundhalfofthesurveyrespondents(51percent)werenotinanyformofpaidwork,and40percentwerefindingitdifficulttocopeoncurrentincome.

Thosefindingitmostdifficult(difficulttoverydifficult)tocopeontheirpresentincomewerePakistanipeople(52percent)followedbyIndianpeople(44percent),whiteBritish(39percent),Bangladeshipeople(37percent),African-CaribbeanandblackAfricanpeople(33percent)and‘other’blackandminorityethnicpeople(32percent).

Housingtenuredistributionwasmixedamongthosewhorentedfromaprivatelandlord(24percent),homeowners(24percent)andthoselivinginsocialhousing(21percent).Sixteenpercentofthesamplewerehomeownersviasharedownership.Indianintervieweesweremostlikelytoowntheirownhome,andotherblackandminorityethnicpeopleandAfrican-CaribbeanandblackAfricanpeopleweremostlikelytorent(privateorsocialhousing).

Self-reported health and wellbeing Table2showsthatthepercentageofintervieweesreporting‘good’or‘verygood’healthwaslowerinthestudyareasthantheaveragerecordedforthelocalauthority.110Thisisnotunexpectedowingtothelevelofdeprivationinthecasestudyareas.However,astable2shows,thepicturewasmixed.InGreaterManchesterB(BangladeshiandPakistaniinterviewees)andWestMidlandsAandB(whiteBritish,IndianandPakistaniinterviewees)thelevelsofreportedgeneralhealthwerehigher.

Indianintervieweesreportedthehighestoverallhealth(88percentverygoodandgood)andthiswasmarkedlyhigherthananyotherethnicgroup.

TherateofgeneralhealthwasverylowinGreaterManchesterA(BangladeshiandPakistaniinterviewees)bothcomparedtootherlocationswithinthisstudyandcomparedtotheaverageforthelocalauthority:41percentascomparedto69percent.

Figure 2: Percentage of survey respondents (by their area of residence and ethnicity)108

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terA

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terB

Lond

onA

Lond

onB

Wes

tMid

land

sA

Wes

tMid

land

sB

Tota

lres

pond

ents

Per

cent

age

ofs

urve

yre

spon

dent

s

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

PercentageofAfrican-CaribbeanandblackAfricanrespondents

PercentageofBangladeshirespondents

PercentageofIndianrespondents

PercentageofPakistanirespondents

PercentageofwhiteBritishrespondents

Percentageofrespondentsfromotherethnicgroups

Thesamplewasslightlybiasedtowardswomen(60percent)andyoungeragegroups(70percentofintervieweeswereagedbetween16and44yearsold).109Astheliteraturereviewforthisstudydemonstrated,theageprofileofblackandminorityethnicpeopleisyoungerthanthatofthewhiteBritishpopulationsotheagebiaswasfelttobeappropriate.

Thecasestudyareaswereselectedonthebasisoftheirhighlevelsofeconomicdeprivation(seechapter1formoreinformationontheareasselected).

108 Peopleinthisgroupincludedualheritagepeople,ChineseandTurkishpeople.Thegroupingofadiverserangeofpeoplewasapragmaticsolutiontosmallstudynumbers.

109 23percentwereaged16-24yearsold,26percentaged25-34,21percentaged35-44,16percentaged45-54,7percentaged55-64and6percentaged65orover.

110 ComparedwithPlaceSurvey2009dataongeneralhealth.ThePlaceSurveyalsocollectsinformationaboutresidentsatisfactionwithneighbourhoodqualityandlocalauthorityserviceswww.cabeurl.com/dh

20

Figure3setsoutlevelsofphysicalactivityintheareas,againstnationalfigurestakenfromSportEngland’sActivePeopleSurvey(2005/06)whichisalarge-scalesurveyofpeople’sleisureandphysicalactivity.111TheLondonAandGreaterManchesterAcasestudiesaremuchlowerthanthenationalaverageshereandWestMidlandsAishigherwithregardtomediumlevelsofactivity(atleast30minutesofmoderatephysicalactivityon8-14dayspermonth).Theothercasestudiesarespreadacrossaspectrum.

LevelsofphysicalactivitywerethelowestamongblackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeaninterviewees–83percentreportedexercisingonlessthan7dayspermonth.PhysicalactivitywashighestamongIndianinterviewees–12percentreportedexercisingonmorethan22dayspermonth.

Thesamepatternswerefoundforqualityoflife,socialwellbeingandplaceattachment,withIndianintervieweesscoringhighandblackAfricanandAfrican-CaribbeanandBangladeshiintervieweesthelowest.

Table 2: Percentage of respondents reporting that their health is either ‘very good’ or ‘good’

Case study area CABE data

(2009)

Average for local authority

(Place Survey data, 2009)

GreaterManchesterA 41 69GreaterManchesterB 76 69LondonA 61 78LondonB 60 83WestMidlandsA 85 71WestMidlandsB 84 74

111 www.cabeurl.com/di

21

Figure 3: Levels of physical activity undertaken per month: CABE study compared with the Active People Survey (percentage of people)112

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Per

cent

age

ofp

eopl

e

Gre

ater

Man

ches

ter

A–

C

AB

E

Gre

ater

Man

ches

ter

A–

A

ctiv

eP

eopl

eS

urve

y

Gre

ater

Man

ches

ter

B–

C

AB

E

Gre

ater

Man

ches

ter

B–

A

ctiv

eP

eopl

eS

urve

y

Lond

onA

–

CA

BE

Lond

onA

–

Act

ive

Peo

ple

Sur

vey

Lond

onB

–

CA

BE

Lond

onB

–

Act

ive

Peo

ple

Sur

vey

Wes

tM

idla

nds

A–

C

AB

E

Wes

tM

idla

nds

A–

A

ctiv

eP

eopl

eS

urve

y

Wes

tM

idla

nds

B–

C

AB

E

Wes

tM

idla

nds

B–

A

ctiv

eP

eopl

eS

urve

y

Atleast30minutesofmoderatephysicalactivityonfewerthan7days

Atleast30minutesofmoderatephysicalactivityon8–14dayspermonth

Atleast30minutesofmoderatephysicalactivityon15–21dayspermonth

Atleast30minutesofmoderatephysicalactivityonmorethan22dayspermonth 112 Sumtotalsmaynotaddupto100percentbecauseofrounding.

22

The survey methodologyThehouseholdsurveyaskedaseriesofquestionsdesignedtoexploretherelationshipbetweenthehealthandwellbeingofinterviewees,andperceivedqualityoftheirlocalgreenspaceandcurrentuseofgreenspace.Italsoexploredpeople’sattitudestoimprovementstotheirlocalgreenspacesandhowthiscouldaffecttheirbehaviour–specificallytheirlevelsofuseandphysicalactivity.

Thedesignofthesurveywasshapedbyourreviewoftheexistingliterature(seechapter2)andfocusgroups(seeappendix4).Interpretationofthesurveydatawasaidedbyinformationgatheredbyauditsofenvironmentalqualityinthecasestudyareas(seeappendix5).

Thesurveydrewonacombinationofquestionsdemonstratedtobereliableinpreviousresearchstudies,andexistingvalidatedscalesforhealthandwellbeing.Whereveritwaspossible,thesurveydrewonquestionsthathadbeenusedbeforetoexploretheuseofgreenspaceandperceivedqualityofgreenspaceandneighbourhood.

Informationfromfocusgroups,heldinfourofthesixcasestudylocations,wasusedtoconstructnewquestionsaroundgreenspaceuseandpeople’slikesanddislikes.Thefocusgroupsalsohelpedtoprovideadditionalbackgroundinformationonthequalityofgreenspaceprovisioninthecasestudyareas.Greenspacewasdefinedbythesurveyas‘anypublicspacearoundherethatissomewheregrassyandgreentowalk,sitandplay,excludingaprivategarden’.Thisdefinitionwasinformedbydiscussionswithinthefocusgroupsinwhichgreenspacewasunderstoodtoincludeparks,grassyareas,hillyplacesandopenspaces,aswellasareassuchascanaltowpathsandsportspitches.

QuestionsongreenspaceuseweretakenfromnationalsurveyssuchasSportEngland’sActive people surveyandbestvalueperformanceindicators(BVPI).QuestionsonneighbourhoodsatisfactionweredrawnfromBVPI.WherenoEnglishequivalentwasavailable,questionsfromtheScottish social attitudessurvey(2009)wereused.

Therewerenoprecedentsinpreviousresearchforquestionsexploringhowperceivedwellbeingchangesinrelationtogreenspaces.Thisaspectofoursurveywasapproachedbyaseriesof

newquestionsdesignedtotapintopeople’saspirationsforgreenspacequalityanduseandthethingsthataremostmeaningfultothem.

TheuseofquestionsreplicatedfromothernationalsurveysenabledcomparisonoftheCABEdatawithnationalbaselines.Urban green nation: building the evidence basesetsoutmoreinformationonnationaldatacollectionrelatingtourbangreenspace.113

Measuring health and wellbeing

Questionsusedinthesurveytomeasureperceptionsofhealthandwellbeingexaminedavarietyofvariablestocaptureinformationongeneralhealth,physicalhealth,self-reportedqualityoflifeandwellbeing.

Physical health Onequestionused‘in the past week/month, how many days have you done a total of 30 minutes or more of physical activity, which was enough to raise your breathing rate e.g. getting slightly out of breath?’114

General health Onequestionused‘in general would you say that, for a person of your age, your health is...’(scaleofverygoodtoverypoor)115

Self-reported quality of life Measuredusingafive-itemscaleonsatisfactionwithlife.116

Social wellbeing Acombinationofquestionsmeasuringlevelsofcommunitycohesion,trust,loneliness,attachmenttoplaceandsenseofbelonging.117

Objective measures and self-reported indicators of wellbeing

Demographicandsocio-economicquestionsaskingaboutlevelofincome,housing,educationalattainments,perceivedaccessto,anduseof,publicservices.118

113 Urban green nation: building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

114 BritishHeartFoundationNationalCentre,2008.115 Generalhealthquestionusedinotherrelevantresearch,forexampleby

Maasetal,2008.116 SeebibliographyforDieneretal,1985.Wellusedinotherresearchexploring

relationshipbetweengreenspaceandwellbeing,forinstanceSugiyamaandWardThompson,2009andScottish environmental attitudes and behaviours survey,2008.

117 MeasuresofcommunityandcohesiontakenfromtheScottish social attitudes survey,2009andtheUniversityofCaliforniaLoneliness scale.

118 QuestionstakenfromPLURELwww.plurel.net

23

2. Understanding the role of green space in making an area a ‘good place to live’

Urban green nationfoundastronglinkbetweenpeople’ssatisfactionwiththeirlocalparksandopenspaces,andtheirsatisfactionwiththeirneighbourhood.Ifpeoplearesatisfiedwithlocalparks,theytendtobesatisfiedwiththeircouncil.However,indeprivedareas,andareaswithhighblackandminorityethnicpopulations(over40percentofwardpopulation),bothneighbourhoodsatisfactionandsatisfactionwithparksandopenspacesislowerthaninmoreaffluentareas.

Asfigure4shows,thisdifferencecanbeupto30percentbetweenthepeoplelivinginthemostandleastaffluentareas.

Thismatters,bothforthewellbeingofindividualcommunitiesandforthewayinwhichlocalauthorities’overallperformanceisassessed.

Satisfactionwithneighbourhoodisakeynationalperformanceindicator(NationalIndicator5)andauthoritiesthatchoosethisaspartoftheirlocalareaagreementwillneedtoprioritiseimprovements.

Anarea’slocalgreenspaceisaresourcetousetomitigateinequalitiesfacedbydifferentcommunities.Thehouseholdsurveythereforesetouttoexploretheindividualinfluencesonresidentsatisfactionandtounderstandhowpeoplemakedecisionswhenconsideringwhatmakesanareaa‘goodplacetolive’.Thiswastoincreaseknowledgeonthespecificroleofanarea’sgreenspace,inrelationtootherservices,inshapingareasthatpeoplewillwanttolivein.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Inthe1940sAbrahamMaslowproposedatheoryoffivelevelsofneedsthathumansrequirefulfilledinordertopositivelydevelopandtobesatisfiedinlife.

Thebottomtierofneeds,thephysiologicalorbiological,arethosethingsthatpeoplemusthaveinordertosurvive:forinstance,oxygen,foodandwater.Oncethesebasicneedsaresatisfied,thesecondtierofMaslow’shierarchybecomesactive–theneedforsafetyandsecurity.Anindividualprogressesthroughtheseneedsinorder.Therefore,whenanindividualfeelssafe,thenextclassofneedsbecomeactive–theneedforloveandbelonging,andsoonandsoforth.

Theprovisionoflocalgreenspaceisfundamentalinmakingurbanlifeliveableandournation’sgreeninfrastructureprovidesvaluablebasicenvironmentalservicessuchascleaningtheair,storingfloodwaterandamelioratingtheheatislandeffect.ThePlaceSurveyshowsthatalmostnineoutof10peopleuseparksandgreenspacesinurbanareasandtheyvaluethem;ninety-fivepercentofpeoplethinkitisveryorfairlyimportanttohavegreenspacesneartowheretheylive.119

Ourresearchprovidesfurtherevidencethataccesstolocalgreenspace,alongsideaccesstohousing,healthandeducation,isabasicrequirementorneedthatisfundamentaltoagoodqualityoflife.Analysisofoursurveydataalsorevealsarelationshipbetweenuseofgreenspaceandindividualperceptionsofsafety–thosewhousegreenspacelessalsotendtofeellesssafeintheirarea.

Figure 4: Percentage neighbourhood satisfaction by level of deprivation

Worst10% 11-20% 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% Leastdepr England

Levelofdeprivation

Per

cent

age

gene

raln

eigh

bour

hood

sat

isfa

ctio

n

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Source:BVPI2006survey.Informationforurbanauthoritiesonly.

119 Urban green nation: building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

24

The PLUREL methodology ThehouseholdsurveydrewonaquestionnairedevelopedaspartofaEuropeanUnion-fundedprojectentitledPLUREL(Peri-urbanLandUseRelationships:StrategiesandSustainabilityAssessmentToolsforUrban–RuralLinkages)andusedquestionsthathavebeendevelopedaspartofthisEuropean-wideprogrammeofresearch.120

PLURELexamineshowimportantaccesstogreenspaceisinrelationtosevenotherenvironmentalattributes:

airquality suitabilityofhousing areasafetyandsecurity noisepollution shoppingfacilities publictransport wastedisposal.

Theseattributesareconsideredtobeamanageablesetofphysicalenvironmentalfactorsthatarelikelytobemostpertinenttopeople’swellbeingandaremostrelevantinmakinganeighbourhoodagoodplacetolive.121

PLURELdevelopedandpiloteditsquestionsacrossseveralEuropeancountries.IthasgatheredresponsesinsixEuropeanregions

(GreaterManchester,denHague,Koper(Slovenia),Warsaw,LeipzigandMontpellier),oneareainChinaandinEstonia.

UsingPLURELasitsbasis,thehouseholdsurveyexploredtherelativeimportanceofurbangreenspaceinrelationtotheotherenvironmentalattributesusingacomputerisedsimulatedexercisewherebyparticipantsareaskedtoselectwhatwouldmakeagoodplacetolive.Thesimulatorpresentsdifferentscenariosofa‘good’placetolivebasedonthreedifferentlevelsofeachattribute:forinstancepoor,moderateorexcellentairquality.Greenspaceaccessoptionsrangedfromashortwalktogreenspace,alongwalktogreenspace,ortransportneededtoreachgreenspace.Usingthismethod,itispossibletoanalysetheresultsoftheexercisebyethnicity,levelofeducationorincomeandlocation.

Thistypeofanalysisisdifferentfromconventionalpreferenceorratingtasksbecausepeople’sjudgementsaboutwhatmakesaparticularareaagoodplacetolivearebasedonarangeofattributesincombination,comparabletothewaypeoplemakechoicesinreallife.Forinstance,whenpeoplearechoosingwheretolive,theyweighuplocation,typeofhouse,schoolqualityandsoon,aspartofthesamedecision,ratherthanasdiscreteindividualcomponents.122

120 www.plurel.net121 BasedonSustainable communities indicatorswww.cabeurl.com/doandthe

European quality of life surveywww.cabeurl.com/dp122 TheNationalInstituteforHealthandClinicalExcellence(NICE)has

recommendedthatresearchersmovetochoicemethods,suchasthemethodusedinourstudy,forqualityoflifeassessmentinmedicineandhealth.

25

Results

Overall,areasafetyandsecuritywereconsideredmostimportantinmakinganareaagoodplacetolive.Whenallenvironmentalattributeswereequalandthesafetyattributeisvaried,‘raresafetyproblems’wasthemostpreferredscenarioacrossthesample.Accesstogreenspacewasrankedsixthinimportanceandcontributedapproximately10percenttomakingtheareaagoodplacetolivewithinthecontextoftheotherattributesevaluated.Areasafetyandsecuritycontributed16percentandwasapproximately1.6timesasimportantasaccesstogreenspace.

Thedifferencesintheimportanceofattributestestedweremostlynotverygreat.Figure5belowsummarisestheresults.

Results by ethnicityTheroleofsafetyinchoosingaplacetolivevariesinimportanceaccordingtoethnicity.WhiteBritishinterviewees,Indian,Pakistaniandotherethnicblackandminorityethnicgroupsratedsafetyasthemostimportantattributecomparedtosevenothers.BangladeshipeopleandblackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanpeoplerateditasthesecondmostimportantattributeafterdesignandconstructionofhousing.

Therelativeimportanceofaccesstogreenspaceforagoodlivingenvironmentwassimilaracrossallethnicgroups,althoughimportanceratingswereslightlyhigherforwhiteBritish,PakistaniandIndianinterviewees.

Results by level of physical activityThosethatweremorephysicallyactive(self-reported)placedaccesstogreenspacehigherinimportancethanmost.Thisunderlinesarelationshipbetweenphysicalactivityandthevalueofgreenspacethatappearstobemoreevidentinthisstudy’ssamplethaninthewiderpopulationofBritain.

Frequencyofpeople’sestimatedactivitylevelsandfrequencyofgreenspaceusewererelatedto:higherimportanceofairquality;higherimportanceofgreenspacebutlowerimportanceofnoiseandlowerimportanceforsafety.Itisperhapsnotsurprisingthatthosewhousegreenspacemoreratethisaccesshigherinimportance.However,itisofnotethattheyplacelowerimportanceonsafety.

Figure 5: Relative importance of the tested environmental qualities in making an area ‘a good place to live’ (percentage)

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Rel

ativ

eim

port

ance

of

envi

ronm

enta

lqua

litie

sin

mak

ing

ana

rea

“a

goo

dpl

ace

toli

ve”

Are

asa

fety

and

sec

urity

Hou

seo

rflat

sui

tabi

lity

Air

qual

ity

Noi

sep

ollu

tion

Ava

ilabi

lity

and

acce

ssto

pub

lictr

ansp

ort

Ava

ilabi

lity

ofs

hopp

ing

faci

litie

s

Acc

ess

tog

reen

spa

ces

Was

tec

olle

ctio

n

26

Results by level of green space useConversely,thosewhousegreenspacelessoftenratesafetyandnoiseattributesmorehighly,andairqualityandgreenspaceaccesslower.Althoughitisnotpossibletoisolateacauseandeffectrelationshiphere,itisofnotethatthosewhousegreenspacelessalsoplaceagreaterimportanceonsafety.Thisrelatestotheliteraturereviewedinchapter2whichshowedthatthemainmechanisminfluencingpeople’susageofopenspaceistheirperceptionofsafety.

International comparisonTheresultswerecomparedwithPLURELdatafromothercountries.Thisdataincorporatesarangeoflocations,frominnerurbantorural,andawiderspectrumofrespondents.Thisisincontrasttothisstudy’snarrowerfocusondeprivedareaswithahighpopulationofblackandminorityethnicpeople.

Comparisondoeshoweverrevealsimilarresults.123InthewiderPLURELdatasetgreenspaceisalsorankedsixthandtheoverallaverageimportanceofgreenspacealsoremainsrelativelyconstant(around10percent).Thisisimportantinindicatingthataccesstogreenspaceisabasicandconsistentenvironmentalattributeinmakinganareaagoodplacetolive,regardlessofwhoyouareorwhereyoulive.

3. Use of green space and satisfaction with neighbourhood

Thesurveyaskedpeoplewhichlocalgreenspacestheyusedandhowtheyperceivedthequalityofthesespacesandthequalityoftheirwiderneighbourhood.

Thepublicparkwasthemostfrequentlyvisitedspaceofallthetypesofgreenspaceincludedinthesurvey–recordedat90percentofoveralluse.124Themajorityofinterviewees(78percent)visitedtheirnearestspacebywalking,indicatingthatitisthelocalneighbourhoodparkthatisofmostsignificanceforpeople’suseofgreenspace.

Thisalsomirrorstheresultsoffocusgroupsthatwereheldinthecasestudyareastohelpdevelopthehouseholdsurveyquestions.Thesegroupsdiscussedpeople’suseoflocalgreenspaceandtheirperceptionofthequalityofthesespaces.Here,again,themostfrequentlymentionedgreenspaceswereparksand,inGreaterManchesterB,sportspitches.

Furthermore,inthefocusgroups,mostparticipantsreportedgoingonfoot,usuallywithfriendsandfamily–especiallyyoungfemalePakistaniandBangladeshiwomen.

However,inlocationswithahigherqualityofpark,forinstanceaGreenFlag-awardedpark,peoplereportedtravellingfurther.Appendix4includesmoreinformationonthefindingsfromthefocusgroups.

Thepatternofvisitingpublicparkswasthesameacrossallthesurveyrespondents.Significantly,lessthanonepercentofthoselivinginsocialhousing(21percentoftheoverallsample)reportedusingthegreenspacesinthehousingestatetheylivedin.

Asfigure6belowshows,thesespaceswererecordedatonly3percentofoveralluse(thisincludespeoplewholiveinprivatehomesonhousingestates),indicatingthatforthemajorityofpeoplethesespacesarenotconsideredalocationtouseorvisit.

Yet,inEngland17percentofhouseholdsaresocialtenantslivinginnearlyfourmillionhomes,uptohalfwhomarelikelytobeagedunder16.125Sociallandlordsareresponsibleforthesignificantquantitiesofgreenandopenspacesthatsurroundthesehomes.Indeed,insomeareas,especiallyinsomepartsofLondon,theirgreenspacestockmaybeequaltoorgreaterthan,theamountofgreenspacesownedandmanagedbythelocalauthority.

Sociallandlordsthereforehavecontroloverasignificantgreenspaceresource.CABEandtheNationalHousingFederationhavesetoutapracticalactionplanthatidentifies10prioritiestohelpimprovethequalityofthesespaces.TheNeighbourhoodsGreenpartnership,whichaimstohighlighttheimportanceofgreenspacesforsocialhousingresidents,willworkwithsociallandlordstotaketheseforward.126

123 Itshouldberememberedthatsamplingframesarenotdirectlycomparableintermsofsamplesizeortargetedpopulations.

124 Thesurveyalsoincludedsportsandrecreationalareas,playareas,greenspacesonsocialhousingestates,woodlands,opencountryside,greenspacealongsidecanalsorrivers.Respondentswerealsoabletonameanothertypeofgreenspace.

125 8percentofsocialhousingismanagedbyhousingassociationsand9percentbylocalauthoritieswww.cabeurl.com/c5andwww.cabeurl.com/cd

126 ThePartnershipissupportedbyCABE,theNationalHousingFederation,NaturalEngland,Peabody,Greenflagpluspartnership,GroundworkUK,LandscapeInstituteandtheWildlifeTrusts.Formoreinformationontheactionplanwww.cabe.org.uk/social-landlords

27

Green space use by ethnicity Aperson’sethnicitywasthestrongestindicatoroftheirgreenspaceuseinthesurveydata.AndforallethnicgroupsasidefromwhiteBritishandIndianpeople,generalhealthwasthenextbestpredictorofuse.

Thus,thefrequencyandnatureofindividualgreenspaceusewasexaminedinmoredetailtoseeifitispossibletodeterminepatternsofdifferenceandsimilaritybetweendifferentethnicities.Analysisofthedatashowsthattherearehighlysignificantdifferencesbyethnicity–withphysicalactivityandsocialpatternsofusegenerallystrongeramongblackandminorityethnicinterviewees.127

Use of green spaceNationally,48percentofpeopleusegreenspacesatleastonceaweek.128Inourstudylevelsofgreenspaceuseforallethnicities,withtheexceptionofwhiteBritish,weremuchlowerthanthenationalaverage.Thiswasexpectedbecauseofthelevelofdeprivationoftheareasstudied.DeprivedareasinEnglandrecordthelowestlevelofgreenspaceuse.129

Surveyintervieweeswereaskedtochoosefromthefollowingoptions: relax,thinkandenjoythepeaceandquiet seewildlife getfreshair meetfriends eatanddrink forafamilyouting(forinstancepicnicorbarbecue)

takechildren/grandchildrenout tobeinaplacewherethereareotherpeople exercise walkthedog enjoyentertainment enjoythebeautyofthesurroundings growthings.

Perceptions of green space qualityOurstudyfoundthatthelevelsofquality,andthevalue,peopleattachtoaparticulargreenspacearedifferentaccordingtothecircumstancesinwhichtheyareasked.Peopletendedtobemorepositivewhenvisitinginpersoninagroupcontextandlesssowhendiscussingaspace’scharacteristicsatadistance.Formalenvironmentalauditswereundertakeninallofthecasestudyareastoassessthequalityofthegreenspaceswithintheseareas.Thirteenspaces,mainlyparks,wereauditedandtheinformationgatheredaidedtheinterpretationoftheresponsestothehouseholdsurvey.Appendix5providesmoreinformationontheaudits.

People’sperceptionsofgreenspaceon-siteweremuchmorepositivethaninfocusgroupsandmoreconsistentwiththeensuingsurveydatagatheredfromindividuals.

Itispossiblethatbeinginagreenspaceonasunnydaywithinasocialcontextinfluencedtheresults.Orthatfocusgroupopinioncanbeswayedbythegroupdynamic.Thisshowstheimportanceofcarryingouton-siteassessmentswiththecommunity,andthatvaluejudgementsvaryaccordingtocontext.

Figure 6: Types of local green space used by respondents

90%

3% 2% 2% 2% 1%

Ap

ublic

par

k

The

hous

ing

esta

te

whe

rey

ouli

ve

An

allo

tmen

tor

com

mnu

nity

gar

den

Ano

ther

type

ofg

reen

sp

ace

As

port,

recr

eatio

nalo

rpl

aya

rea

Ope

nco

untry

side

,fiel

ds

orh

ils

127 Ascomparedtotheotheroptionssetoutinthesurvey,forinstance‘forpeaceandquiet’or‘toseewildlife’.Intervieweesalsohadtheopportunitytostateanactivitynotincludedinthesurveyoptions.

128 TheDEFRAtrackerstudyPublic attitudes and behaviours towards the environment,2009www.cabeurl.com/ag

129 Urban green nation: building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

28

Figure 7: How often do you visit your nearest green space in summer? (percentage of respondents)

African-CaribbeanandblackAfrican

Banglaldeshi

Indian

Pakistani

Respondentsfromotherethnicgroups

WhiteBritish

Ethnicity

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

NeverinthisseasonSeldomOnceamonthOnceeverytwoweeksOnceortwiceaweekMostdaysEveryday

Per

cent

age

ofr

espo

nden

ts

29

Figure 8: How often do you visit your nearest green space in winter? (percentage of respondents)

African-CaribbeanandblackAfrican

Banglaldeshi

Indian

Pakistani

Respondentsfromotherethnicgroups

WhiteBritish

Ethnicity

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

NeverinthisseasonOnceamonthOnceeverytwoweeksOnceortwiceaweekMostdaysEveryday Seldom

Per

cent

age

ofr

espo

nden

ts

30

AcrossintervieweestheuseoflocalurbangreenspacewashighestinwhiteBritishpeople(41percentvisitmostdays)followedbyPakistanipeople(21percentofwhomvisitmostdays).

Therewereverydifferentpatternsofusebyethnicitybetweenthesummerandwinterperiods(figures7and8).Inwinter,whiteBritishpeopleareagainmostlikelytovisitonaregularbasis,whereasBangladeshiandPakistanipeoplearemostlikelyto‘seldom’or‘never’visiturbangreenspaceinwinterandsummer.

Ourliteraturereview(chapter2)exploredresearchintotheuseofgreenspacebydifferentcommunities.Here,severalstudieshadfoundthattheuseofparksbysomeethnicgroupstendstobesocial;inlargefamilyorfriendshipgatherings.

Figure 9: What do you normally do when you visit a green space? (percentage of white British respondents)

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Rel

axo

rthi

nk/

enjo

ype

ace

and

quie

t

See

wild

life

Get

fres

hai

r

Mee

tfrie

nds

Eato

rdrin

k

Fam

ilyo

utin

g(s

uch

as

picn

ico

rbar

becu

e)

Take

chi

ldre

nor

gr

andc

hild

ren

out

Enjo

ybe

ing

whe

reo

ther

pe

ople

are

aro

und

Exer

cise

Wal

kth

edo

g

Enjo

yen

terta

inm

ent(

such

as

eve

nts,

gui

ded

wal

ks)

Enjo

yth

ebe

auty

oft

he

surro

undi

ngs

Som

eot

herr

easo

n

Per

cent

age

ofw

hite

Brit

ish

resp

onde

nts

Thehouseholdsurveyalsofoundsignificantdifferencesinthenatureofgreenspaceusebyethnicity.BlackandminorityethnicintervieweesweremorelikelytovisitgreenspaceforsocialreasonsthanthewhiteBritishinterviewees.

PatternsofusedifferedmostbetweenBangladeshiintervieweesandallotherinterviewees,particularlywhiteBritishpeople.Asfigures9and10show,whiteBritishpeopleweremorelikelytovisitgreenspaceforrelaxationandtoenjoythepeaceandquietofthespace.Bangladeshipeopleweremorelikelytovisittogetfreshair,meetfriendsandforphysicalactivity.

31

Figure 10: What do you normally do when you visit a green space? (percentage of Bangladeshi respondents)

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Rel

axo

rthi

nk/

enjo

ype

ace

and

quie

t

See

wild

life

Get

fres

hai

r

Mee

tfrie

nds

Eato

rdrin

k

Fam

ilyo

utin

g(s

uch

as

picn

ico

rbar

becu

e)

Take

chi

ldre

nor

gr

andc

hild

ren

out

Enjo

ybe

ing

whe

reo

ther

pe

ople

are

aro

und

Exer

cise

Wal

kth

edo

g

Enjo

yen

terta

inm

ent(

such

as

eve

nts,

gui

ded

wal

ks)

Enjo

yth

ebe

auty

oft

he

surro

undi

ngs

Som

eot

herr

easo

n

Per

cent

age

ofB

angl

ades

hir

espo

nden

ts

Indianintervieweeshademergedelsewhereinthedataasaninterestinggroup,reportinghighlevelsofreportedhealthandhighlevelsofphysicalactivityandlevelsofsatisfactionwithneighbourhoodandgreenspacesimilartothoseofthewhiteBritishinterviewees.

HerewefoundIndianpeoplearemostlikelyoutofallintervieweestovisitgreenspaceforsocialreasonssuchastotakechildrenorgrandchildrenoutandtovisitforphysicalactivity(figure11).Althoughacrossallinterviewees,BangladeshiandPakistanipeoplealsoreportedhighusageofgreenspaceforphysicalactivity.

32

Figure 11: What do you normally do when visiting a green space? (percentage of Indian respondents)

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Rel

axo

rthi

nk/

enjo

ype

ace

and

quie

t

See

wild

life

Get

fres

hai

r

Mee

tfrie

nds

Eato

rdrin

k

Fam

ilyo

utin

g(s

uch

as

picn

ico

rbar

becu

e)

Take

chi

ldre

nor

gr

andc

hild

ren

out

Enjo

ybe

ing

whe

reo

ther

pe

ople

are

aro

und

Exer

cise

Wal

kth

edo

g

Enjo

yen

terta

inm

ent(

such

as

eve

nts,

gui

ded

wal

ks)

Enjo

yth

ebe

auty

oft

he

surro

undi

ngs

Som

eot

herr

easo

n

Per

cent

age

ofIn

dian

res

pond

ents

Satisfaction with neighbourhood and green spaceSatisfactionwithneighbourhoodandwithlocalgreenspace,despitethelevelofareadeprivation,wasconsistentlyfairinallthecasestudyareas.PercentageresponsesforbothsatisfactionwithgreenspaceandneighbourhoodsatisfactionwereparticularlyhighintheMidlands.

Figure12setsoutpeople’ssatisfactionwiththeirlocalgreenspace.Figure13comparesthesewiththeBVPIandPlaceSurveyaveragesfortheareas.130However,careshouldbetakenincomparingtheseresults.ThisstudylookedatsmallareaswithinlocalauthoritiesandusedadifferentmethodologytotheBVPIquestionnaireandPlaceSurvey,wherediscussionaboutsatisfactionwaspartofamuchwiderandstructureddiscussionaboutenvironmentalqualityandwellbeing.Allsurveystookplaceatdifferenttimeperiods.

130 Oursamplespecificallytargetedtwowardsineachlocalauthorityarea,sowedidnotexpectscorestomatchthelocalauthorityaverages.

33

Figure 12: Respondents’ satisfaction levels with the quality of their local green space (by case study area)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Verysatisfied Fairlysatisfied Neithersatisfiednordissatisfied

Fairlydissatisfied Verydissatisfied

GreaterManchesterA

GreaterManchesterB

LondonA

LondonB

WestMidlandsA

WestMidlandsB

Per

cent

age

ofr

espo

nden

ts

34

Figure 13: Comparison of levels of satisfaction with local area as a place to live (by case study area)

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terA

–C

AB

Est

udy

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terA

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terA

–B

VPI2

006

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terB

–C

AB

Est

udy

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terB

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Gre

ater

Man

ches

terB

–B

VPI2

006

Lond

onA

–C

AB

Est

udy

Lond

onA

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Lond

onA

–B

VPI2

006

Lond

onB

–C

AB

Est

udy

Lond

onB

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Lond

onB

–B

VPI2

006

Wes

tMid

land

sA

–C

AB

Est

udy

Wes

tMid

land

sA

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Wes

tMid

land

sA

–B

VPI2

006

Wes

tMid

land

sB

–C

AB

Est

udy

Wes

tMid

land

sB

–P

lace

Sur

vey

2009

Wes

tMid

land

sB

–B

VPI2

006

Per

cent

age

ofr

esid

ent

satis

fact

ion

with

are

aas

ap

lace

to

live

35

Theseresultswereanalysedbyethnicity.WhiteBritishpeople(88percent)andIndianpeople(87percent)weremostsatisfiedwiththeirlocalneighbourhood.Pakistaniinterviewees(77percent)andBangladeshiinterviewees(73percent)wereclosesttothenationalaverage.BlackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanpeopleweretheleastsatisfiedwiththeirneighbourhood(62percent).

Onqualityofgreenspace,thepatternswereverysimilartothedifferentgroups’satisfactionwithlocalneighbourhood.Again,whiteBritish(90percent)andIndianinterviewees(86percent)scoredthehighestonsatisfactionwiththequalityofgreenspacenearesttotheirhome(verytofairlysatisfied).

TheseresultswereaboveaverageforurbanEngland;thePlaceSurveyfoundthatin2009generalsatisfactionwithparksandopenspacesinurbanEnglandwas69percent.131

Bangladeshiintervieweesscoredthelowestwhenaskedaboutsatisfactionwithqualityoflocalgreenspacewith55percentveryorfairlysatisfied.Ourresultsrelatetothelocationofthedifferentethnicgroupssampled.Forexample,IndianpeoplewerethemostsatisfiedandIndianintervieweeswerepredominantlydrawnfromtheMidlandscasestudyareaswheresatisfactionwasmuchhigher.BangladeshiintervieweeswereleastsatisfiedandweredrawnfromtheGreaterManchesterareaswheresatisfactioninoneareawasmarkedlylowerthanaverage.

4. Linking green space quality and health and wellbeing – perceptions of safety and changing behaviour

Asdiscussedearlierinthischapter,surveyrespondentsrankedperceptionsofpersonalsafetyasmostimportantinmakinganarea‘agoodplacetolive’.Analysisofthedataalsorevealedarelationshipbetweenuseofgreenspaceandindividualperceptionsofsafety–thosewhousegreenspacelessalsotendtofeellesssafeintheirarea.Thisindicatesacircularrelationship–thosewhofeellesssafearealsolesslikelytousegreenspace.

Toexplorethisinmoredetailoursurveyaskedpeoplehowsafetheyfeltusingtheirlocalgreenspacesinthesixcasestudyareasandiftheyexperiencedbarriersinaccessingthesespaces.

Italsouniquelyaskedpeoplehowtheythoughtimprovementstothesespacescouldpotentiallyimpactontheiruseofthesespaces–whichinturncouldbenefithealthandwellbeing.Perceptions of safety using local green spaceThehighestscoresonsafety(verysafetosafe)wereinWestMidlandsAwhichat93percentweremarkedlyhigherthanintheotherareas.ThetwoGreaterManchesterareasscoredthelowest(55percentinGreaterManchesterAand58percentinGreaterManchesterB).

Thedatawasanalysedbyethnicity.Indian(79percent)andwhiteBritish(75percent)peoplereportedfeelingmostsafe(verysafetosafe).Ofallinterviewees,Pakistani(64percent)andBangladeshi(53percent)peoplereportedfeelingleastsafe.

Thisrepeatspatternsofresultsfoundelsewhereinthesurvey.WhiteBritishandIndianintervieweesrecordedhighsatisfactionandconsistentlysimilarresultsonbothperceptionsofsafetyandquality,whileBangladeshiintervieweeswereleastsatisfiedwiththequalityofgreenspaceandwithsafety.

131 www.cabeurl.com/ae

36

Figure 14: How safe do you feel using your local green space? (by ethnicity)

Barriers to usePeoplewereaskediftheyexperiencedanybarrierstousingtheirlocalgreenspaces.Thebiggestsinglereportedbarriertoaccessingurbangreenspacewassafety.Thiswasexpressedbothintermsofthephysicalenvironment(denseovergrownvegetation,lackoflighting)andthethreatofothers(gangs,drinkinganddruguse).Thirty-sevenpercentofpeoplereportedtheywoulduseurbangreenspacemoreifsafetywereimproved.

Theseresultswereanalysedbyethnicity,andstatisticaldifferenceswerefound.WhiteBritishandIndianintervieweesagainshowedsimilaritiesintheirresponses,reportinglitteranddogfoulingasmajorbarrierstouse.

Barriers to the use of green spaceBarrierswerealsodiscussedaspartofthestudy’sfocusgroups.Theyincluded: Fearandfeelingsofinsecurityresultingfrom

anti-socialbehaviour,drug-dealingandtaking,andfearofpersonalattackorracism

Presenceofdogs–eitherfoulingorfearofattack(thiswascitedparticularlyamongblackandminorityethnicwomen)

Poordesignsuchashighperimeterwallspreventingviewsinandout,heavyvegetationandlackoflightingpromotingfeelingsofinsecurity

Inadequatemaintenanceandmanagementleadingtovandalism,litter,graffitianddrugparaphernalia

Failuretoacknowledgeandprovideforthediverseneedsofamixedcommunity,forinstancenowhereprovidedinalocalgreenspaceforMuslimwomentomeetawayfrommen

Lackoffacilities,particularlylackoffacilitiesforyoungchildrenandteenagers,andtheremovalofwell-usedandvaluedfacilitiessuchasfootballandcricketpitches.Allgroupscitednowheretositasabarriertouse.

Changing behaviourIntervieweeswereaskedwhatwouldencouragethemtomakebetteruseoftheirlocalgreenspaces.Themainresponseswere:

asaferenvironment morefacilitiessuchasacafé,toilets,sportsandplay

areas,particularlyforchildrenandyoungpeople moreevents betterpaths.

Thesedidnotdifferbyethnicity.Theywereprioritiesallintervieweesheldincommon.Forty-sixpercentofintervieweessaidtheywoulduseurbangreenspacemoreifithadbetterfacilities.Thistallieswithourliteraturereview,whichfoundthatacrossallethnicitiesthequalityofgreenspace,anditsgoodmanagementarehighlyvalued.

Iftheirlocalgreenspaceweremademorepleasantandtheybegantouseitmore,60percentofpeoplethoughtitwouldimprovetheiroverallphysicalhealth,48percentperceiveditcouldimprovetheirmentalhealth,and46percentthoughtitcouldimprovetheirsocialrelationshipswithfamilyandfriends.

African-CaribbeanandblackAfrican

Banglaldeshi

Indian

Pakistani

Respondentsfromotherethnicgroups

WhiteBritish

Ethnicity

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Verysafe Safe Neithersafenorunsafe

Unsafe Veryunsafe

Per

cent

age

ofr

espo

nden

ts

37

Statisticaldifferencesbyethnicitywerefoundinallthreerespects,andespeciallyinperceptionsofthebenefitsofgreenspaceformentalrestoration.TherewassomeconsistencyamongthewhiteBritish,IndianandPakistaniintervieweesinattachingahighvaluetothephysicalandmentalhealthbenefitsofgreenspace.PatternsamongblackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanintervieweesandotherblackandminorityethnicgroupsalsoappearedsimilar.

Physical activityAllIndianintervieweesand98percentofPakistaniintervieweesreportedtheywouldfeelbetterabouttheirphysicalhealthiftheybegantousegreenspacemore.132Eighty-ninepercentofBangladeshipeopleand92percentofwhiteBritishreportedhighresponseshere.Responseswerelowestintheotherblackandminoritygroupsat68percentandblackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanintervieweesat76percent.Whilephysicalactivitydidnotfeaturehighlyincurrentusepatterns,intermsoffutureuse(baseduponanimprovedqualitygreenspace)itfeaturedmuchmorehighly.

Mental health AllIndianintervieweesreportedthatanincreaseduseofgreenspacewouldbenefittheirmentalhealth,asdid90percentofPakistaniintervieweesand85percentofwhiteBritish.ThefigurewasalsohighforBangladeshiinterviewees(73percent).Thiswassurprisingastheircurrentusepatternsdidnotreflectuseofgreenspaceforrestoration.PercentageswerelowestagainintheblackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeangroup(41percent)andotherblackandminorityethnicgroups(54percent).

Social wellbeingAgainIndianintervieweesreportedthehighestperceivedbenefits(97percent),withwhiteBritish(87percent)andPakistaniinterviewees(73percent)alsohigh.BlackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanperceptionswerehigherontheperceivedbenefitsofgreenspaceforsocialuse(62percent)thanformentalhealth,butotherblackandminorityethnicgroupsperceivedsocialbenefits(54percent)similarlytomentalhealthbenefits.Bangladeshiintervieweesscoredthelowestonthiscategory,at46percent.

Aspirations for green spaceThestudyliteraturereviewidentifiedagapinknowledgeaboutwhichspecificphysicallandscapeattributesmattertoparticularcommunities,althoughexistingresearchhashighlighteddifferentaestheticpreferenceswith‘wild’greenspacehavinglessappealamongsomeethnicgroups.People’saspirationsfortheirlocalgreenspaceswereexploredaspartofthestudy’sfocusgroups.Herepeople’s‘wish-lists’fortheirlocalurbangreenspaceswerelargelybasedonpositiverecollectionsofgreenspaceexperiencedintheiryouth,whichtheyfrequentlytalkedaboutwithnostalgia.

Focusgroupparticipants’wishlistsforlocalgreenspaceincluded:

events(festivals,fireworks) wildlife,water,longgrass colourandflowers sport(cricket,football,hockey)supported

bytraining urbanfarming(fruitfarms,allotments) seatingforsocialisingandfamilyareas facilities:toiletsandcafés,cleanandsafeplay cleanlinessandsafety,wardens consultationbylandownersandurbangreen

spacestrategiesthatembracediversity dog-freearea female-onlyareas(citedbyBangladeshi

andPakistaniparticipants).

YoungPakistaniparticipants(maleandfemale)particularlywantedmoresportfacilitiesappropriatetotheirculture,askingforcricketandfootballasopposedtoskateboarding.Muslimyoungwomensaiditwasessentialtoaccessseparatesocialspacesawayfrommen.

Ourhouseholdsurveyfoundstrongpreferencesamongallintervieweesforlotsoftreesandgreenery(34percent)andtoalesserextent,forattractiveviews(24percent).Theliteraturereviewhadsuggestedurbanfarmingwasofspecialinteresttosomegroups,butthiswasnotsupportedinthesurvey(only2percentofintervieweesreportedtheywoulduseurbangreenspacemoreiftheycouldgrowthings).

132 Respondentsansweredeither‘yes,definitely’or‘yes,abit’.

38

Statistical analysis of the relationship between satisfaction and health and wellbeingAnalysisofthisstudy’ssurveydataconfirmedthatindividualperceptionoflocalgreenspacequalityisapredictorofsatisfactionwiththelocalneighbourhoodasanareatolive,andthatthelevelofsatisfactionwithgreenspaceisapredictorofitsuse.133

Thevariablesthatarestatisticallysignificantinpredictingsatisfactionwithanareaare:location,ethnicity,andlevelofincomeandeducation.Ethnicitywasfoundtobeastrongerpredictorofsatisfactionanduseofgreenspacethanlevelofincome.Thesurveydatawasfurtherscrutinisedtoexplorewhethersatisfactionwithneighbourhoodandlocalgreenspaceispositivelyrelatedtobetterhealthandindividualwellbeing.

Statisticallysignificantrelationshipswerefoundbetweenbothsatisfactionwithgreenspace,andsatisfactionwithneighbourhood,and:

betteroverallgeneralhealth(self-reported) abetteroverallqualityoflife higherphysicalactivitylevels higherlevelsofsocialwellbeing.

Theattractivenessofgreenspacewassignificantlycorrelatedwithphysicalactivity,socialwellbeingandqualityoflife.Thus,perceptionsofthequalityofgreenspaceareasignificantinfluenceonwhethersomepeopleuseit.

Therewerehighlysignificantrelationshipsbetweenqualityofurbangreenspaceandmanyofthehealthandwellbeingvariables(seepage22forthevariablestested).Thiscannotbeinterpretedasacausalrelationship,butthestrengthoftherelationshipwasparticularlystrongforwellbeing.

Variablesassociatedwithsocialwellbeingwerestronglyrelatedtosatisfactionwiththelocalneighbourhoodasaplacetolive.Furthermore,satisfactionwithyourareaasaplacetolivesignificantlycorrelateswithlevelsofuse,satisfactionwithgreenspace,perceptionsofsafetyandhowattractiveandpleasantanareaisperceivedtobe.

Significance of safetyFeelingsafeingreenspacewasrelatedtoalmostallofthehealthandwellbeingvariablesincludedinthissurvey,includingphysicalactivity,generalhealth,qualityoflifeandsocialwellbeing.134Thereisalsoahighlysignificantcorrelationbetweenthelevelofuseofgreenspaceandperceptionsofsafety;thisrelatestofindingsfromthefirstsectionofthestudy.135Lackofsafetyisoneofthemostimportantbarrierstogreenspaceuse.

Conclusion

Ourhouseholdsurveywasuniqueinitsapproachandscaleinanalysingtheviewsofover500Bangladeshi,African-Caribbean,blackAfrican,Indian,PakistaniandwhiteBritishpeople.Overall,ourresearchshoweddifferencesamongethnicgroupsinperceptionsofareasafety,thequalityofgreenspace,andlevelandtypeofgreenspaceuse.

Acrossallintervieweesthepublicparkwasthemostfrequentlyvisitedspace–recordedat90percentofoveralluse.Seventy-eightpercentofpeoplereportedvisitingtheirnearestspaceonfoot,indicatingthatitisthelocalneighbourhoodparkthatisofmostsignificanceforpeople’suseofgreenspace.

Significantlylessthan1percentofthoselivinginsocialhousing(21percentoftheoverallsurveysample)reportedusingthegreenspacesinthehousingestatetheylivedin.Overall,areasafetyandsecuritywasthemostimportantfactorinmakinganareaagoodplacetolive.Buttheroleofsafetyinchoosingapreferredplacetolivevariedinitslevelofimportancewhenethnicitywastakenintoaccount.

Therelativeimportanceofaccesstogreenspacetoagoodlivingenvironmentwassimilaracrossallethnicgroups,contributingapproximately10percenttowardsmakingtheareaagoodplacetolive.ThisresultwascomparedtodatainsixEuropeanregions.Acrosstheboard,theresultswereconsistent,indicatingthataccesstogreenspaceisabasicandconsistentenvironmentalattributeinmakinganareaagoodplacetolive,regardlessofwhoyouareorwhereyoulive.

133 Thistallieswiththeanalysisofnationaldata,reportedinUrban green nation: building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

134 Itwasrelatedto11outof13variables.135 Thisisexplanatory.Itisnotpossibletoshowacausallink.

39

Peoplewhoweremorephysicallyactiveplacedaccesstogreenspacethehighestinimportance.Conversely,thosewhousedgreenspacelessoften,ratedsafetymorehighlyandgreenspaceaccesslower.

Lackofsafetywasoneofthemostimportantbarrierstogreenspaceuseandthiswascommontoallinterviewees.Analysisofthedatarevealedarelationshipbetweenuseofgreenspaceandindividualperceptionsofsafety–thosewhousegreenspacelessalsotendtofeellesssafeintheirarea.

Ethnicitywasthestrongestpredictorofgreenspaceuseinthesurveydata.Analysisofthedatashowedhighlysignificantdifferencesbyethnicity,withphysicalactivityandsocialpatternsofusegenerallystrongeramongblackandminorityethnicinterviewees.BlackandminorityethnicintervieweesweremorelikelytovisitgreenspaceforsocialreasonsthanthewhiteBritishinterviewees.

Thesurveyuniquelyaskedpeoplehowtheythoughtimprovementstothesespacescouldpotentiallyimpactontheiruseofthesespaces,whichinturncouldbenefithealthandwellbeing.

Acrossallinterviewees,thebiggestsinglereportedbarriertoaccessingurbangreenspacewassafety.Thiswasexpressedbothintermsofthephysicalenvironment(denseovergrownvegetation,lackoflighting)andthethreatofothers(gangs,drinkinganddruguse).Thirty-sevenpercentofpeoplereportedtheywoulduseurbangreenspacemoreifsafetywereimproved.

Surveyrespondentswereaskedwhatwouldencouragethemtomakebetteruseoftheirlocalgreenspacesandresponsesdidnotdifferbyethnicity.Allintervieweeswantedasaferenvironmentandbetterandmorefacilities.Some46percentofpeoplesaidtheywouldusetheirlocalgreenspacemoreifithadbetterfacilities.

Overall,iftheirlocalgreenspaceweremademorepleasantandtheybegantouseitmore,60percentofpeoplethoughtitwouldimprovetheiroverallphysicalhealth,48percentperceiveditcouldimprovetheirmentalhealth,and46percentthoughtitwouldmakethemfeelbetterabouttheirrelationshipswithfamilyandfriends.Furthermore,theattractivenessofgreenspacewassignificantlycorrelatedwithphysicalactivity,socialwellbeingandqualityoflife.

Thus,perceptionsofthequalityofgreenspaceareasignificantinfluenceonwhethersomepeopleuseit.

Finally,animportantquestionraisedbythisstudyiswhatmakesmostdifferencetoperceptionsofgreenspacequalityanditsuse,andhowthisinfluenceswellbeing:isitethnicityordeprivation?

Overall,ethnicitywasfoundtobemoreimportantasapredictorofgreenspaceuseandofneighbourhoodsatisfactionthanincome.Ethnicity,therefore,appearstobe‘containing’incometosomeextent;inotherwords,ethnicityseemstobetheprincipalfactorbutethnicityisrelatedtolikelyincome(howwellpeoplearecopingontheircurrentincome)andthereforethetwoarelinked.Thusincome,aswellasethnicity,isasignificantpredictorofurbangreenspaceuse.

Thenextchaptersetsoutthekeyfindingsofthisresearch.

40

4 Key findings and conclusion

The way our urban areas look and feel and how they work is changing. This research follows work published by CABE, Urban green nation, which showed that in our urban areas, poor communities have a worse quantity and quality of local green space than those who are better off.

As environmental concerns have become mainstream, so has the issue of environmental equity – ensuring that it is not just the well off who benefit from a good environment and, related to that, a good quality of life.

Historically, poor areas in our towns and cities have been exposed to a larger share of environmental risks and hazards, and in a changing climate they are also most likely to suffer disproportionately. The study shows that providing good-quality local green space is a hugely effective way to tackle inequality.

People living in deprived urban areas view green space as a key service, alongside housing, health, education and policing – one of the essentials in making a neighbourhood liveable.

The environment is a key resource, a basic service to use to ensure that those areas already experiencing a mismatch in provision do not get worse.

Tackling inequality through local green space

Peoplegreatlyvaluelocalgreenspaces,fromparks,pitchesandrecreationgroundstowoodlandandplaygrounds.Theyappreciatethebenefitsintermsofrelaxationandstressalleviationandtheopportunitygreenspaceprovidesforexercise,socialcontactwithfriendsandfamilyandplayingwithchildren.

Community Greensuggeststhereisavirtuouscircle:wherepeopleperceivegreenspacequalitytobegood,theyarealsomoresatisfiedwiththeirneighbourhoodandhavebetterhealthandwellbeing.Whenpeoplevaluetheirlocalgreenspaceandfeelsafeinit,theyuseitmoreandaremorephysicallyactive.Thisrelatesstronglytoethnicity:forexample,Indianintervieweesweremostlikelytovisitgreenspacestoexercise,andreportedthehighestperceivedbenefitsiftheirlocalgreenspaceswereimproved.

Thedesireformorepleasantandattractivegreenspaceswithmorefacilitieswascommontoallintervieweesregardlessoftheirethnicity.Almosthalf(46percent)saidtheywouldusetheirlocalgreenspacemoreifithadbetterfacilities.

Ourreviewofpublishedresearchshowsthatgreenspaceplaysaroleineasingracialtensionsandbringingdiversegroupstogether,forinstancetoplayfootballorcricket,andpromotingintegrationbyprovidingspacefororganisedandcasualencounterswithneighboursanddifferentethnicgroups.

The opportunitiesThestudyrevealedanumberofbarrierstobetteruseofpublicgreenspacebyblackandminorityethnicgroups.OnlyhalfofBangladeshipeoplesaidtheyfeelsafeusingtheirlocalgreenspace,comparedwiththreequartersofwhitepeople.

Thestudyexposeshowmuchgreenspaceswhichareonthedoorsteparestillunderusedbecauseoftheirpoorquality.Lessthan1percentofthoselivinginsocialhousingreportedusingthegreenspacesontheirownestates,andthebiggestbarrierswerefearaboutpersonalsafety,lackoffacilitiesandpoorquality.

SeventeenpercentofhouseholdsinEnglandaresocialtenants,uptohalfofwhomarelikelytobeagedunder16,livinginnearlyfourmillionhomes.136Sociallandlordsareresponsibleforthelargeareasofgreen136 www.cabeurl.com/c5andwww.cabeurl.com/cd

41

spacethatsurroundthesehomes.Insomeareas,particularlyinLondon,thisgreenspacestockmaybegreaterthantheamountownedandmanagedbythelocalauthority.Whiletherearesomeexamplesofgoodpractice,sociallandlordscouldmakemuchmoreofthisextraordinaryassetandthebenefitsofexploitingit.

Ways forwardThecommunityisbestplacedtoknowthespecificneedsandprioritiesfortheirneighbourhood’sgreenspace,andlocalpeoplecanplayacentralroleindrivingtheimprovementsweneed.Forexample,therearemanyneighbourhoodgroups,suchasresidents’associationsorfriendsofparks,whichhavetakenanactiveroleinthemanagementorownershipoflocalgreenspaces,decidinghowtheyareusedandimproved.Landowners,includinglocalauthoritiesandsocialhousingproviders,coulddomoretoencouragethisandtoensurecommunitygroupshavetheresourcesandskillstomakeithappen.Landownerscantakeamoreproactiveandinnovativeapproachtotheirgreenspacesmoregenerally,workingwithlocalpeopletocreatesaferandmoreattractivegreenspaces.Intheareasthatsufferfromashortageofgreenspace,thecreativeuseoftemporarilyvacantspaces,suchasdevelopmentsites,shouldbesupported.Thismattersforlocalauthorityperformance.Everybodyaspirestoabetterandsaferlocalenvironment,andCABEresearchshowsthatifpeoplearesatisfiedwiththeirlocalparksandgreenspaces,theytendalsotobesatisfiedwiththeircouncil.137

1. Green space is a public resource with a proven track record in improving people’s health, but too many local green spaces remain unused

Thegreenspacethatmatteredmosttopeopleinourstudywasthelocalpark,whichreceivedaresoundingvoteofconfidencedespitevaryinglevelsofqualityanduse.Itaccountedfor90percentofthegreenspacesallpeopleused.

Themajorityofinterviewees(78percent)visitedtheirnearestgreenspaceonfoot,indicatingthatitisthelocalneighbourhoodparkthatisofmostsignificance.However,inlocationswithahigher-qualitypark,forinstancewithaGreenFlagaward,peopledidtravelfurther.

Wherepeopleperceivegreenspacequalitytobegood,theyaremoresatisfiedwiththeirneighbourhoodandaremorelikelytoreportbetterhealth.

Yetsignificantlocalgreenspaceresourcesremainunexploited.Publicparksarefarfrombeingtheonlygreenspacesintownsandcities.Lessthan1percentofthoselivinginsocialhousing(21percentofourinterviewees)reportedusingthegreenspacesinthehousingestatetheylivein.Thismaybeduetoconcernsaboutsafety,lackofaccessorpoorquality.

What CABE is doingCABEandtheNationalHousingFederationhavesetoutapracticalactionplanwhichidentifies10prioritiestoimprovethequalityofthegreenspacesonsocialhousingestates.TheNeighbourhoodsGreenpartnership,whichaimstohighlighttheimportanceofgreenspacesforsocialhousingresidents,willworkwithsociallandlordstotaketheseforward.138

137 Urban green nation: building the evidence base,CABE,2010www.cabeurl.com/cf

138 Decent homes need decent spaces: An action plan to improve open spaces in social housing areas,CABESpaceandtheNationalHousingFederation,2010www.cabe.org.uk/social-landlords

Findings from the study

42

2. People’s concerns about safety affect their use of local green space. This concern varies by ethnicity

Thereisstrongevidencethatwhenpeoplevaluetheirlocalgreenspaceandarelikelytofeelsafeinit,theyuseitmoreandaremorephysicallyactive.Concernaboutpersonalsafetyisthemostimportantbarriertotheuseofgreenspace,andperceptionsofindividualsafetydifferedbetweenethnicgroups.Forinstance,only53percentofBangladeshipeoplereportedfeelingsafeusingtheirlocalgreenspace.Thiscompareswith75percentofwhiteinterviewees.

Oursurveydatashowsarelationshipbetweentheuseofgreenspaceandperceptionsofsafety–thosewhousetheirgreenspaceslessalsotendtofeellesssafeintheirarea.

Barrierstousinggreenspaceswererelatedtoethnicity.Theyincludedfeelingsofinsecurityduetothefearofpersonalattackorracism;exclusionduetothedominationofaspacebyaparticulargroup;andthepresenceofdogs(dog-foulingorfearofdogs).Poordesignsuchashighperimeterwallsblockingviewsinandout,heavyvegetationandlackoflightingmadeaplacefeelunsafe,aswellasinadequatemaintenanceandmanagementleadingtovandalism,litter,graffitianddrugparaphernalia.

What CABE is doingCABE’sDecent parks? Decent behaviour? describesspaceswhereacombinationofgooddesign,managementandmaintenancehastransformedno-goareasbackintopopularassetsusedbythewholecommunity.Thiscanbeafarmoreeffectiveuseofresourcesthan,forinstance,blanketuseofCCTVorexpensivesecuritymeasures.139

‘ These park improvements have improved our quality of life. Where we were scared to walk in the park in fear of being robbed due to overgrown trees and hedges, we can now sit on comfortable seats and enjoy the open space and the flowers without being in fear’ Local resident, Groundwork East London park improvement project

3. Improving the quality of spaces will encourage more active use and exercise

Aspirationsforgood-qualitygreenspacewerecommontoeveryonewespoketo.Everybodywantedmorefacilitiessuchascafés,toilets,playandsportsprovision,andimprovedsafetyandmorecommunityevents.Forty-sixpercentofpeoplesaidtheywouldusetheirlocalgreenspacemoreifithadbetterfacilities.

Peoplementionedthelossofwell-usedandvaluedfacilitiessuchasfootballandcricketpitchesasreasonswhytheyusedspaceless.Thiswasespeciallytrueofyoungpeople.Havingnowheretositwasalsocitedasabarriertouse.

Overall,iftheirlocalgreenspaceweremademorepleasantandtheybegantouseitmore,60percentofintervieweesthoughtitwouldimprovetheiroverallphysicalhealth,48percentthoughtitcouldimprovetheirmentalhealth,and46percentthoughtitwouldmakethemfeelbetterabouttheirrelationshipswithfamilyandfriends.Indianintervieweesreportedthehighestperceivedbenefitsofbetterlocalgreenspace.Whilephysicalactivitydidnotfeaturehighlyinpeople’scurrentusepatterns,intermsoffutureuse(baseduponanimproved-qualitygreenspace)itfeaturedmuchmorehighly.Fifty-twopercentofthoseaskedsaidtheywoulddomorephysicalexerciseifgreenspaceswereimproved.

Indian,BangladeshiandPakistanipeopleweremorelikelythanotherethnicitiestoreportvisitingurbangreenspaceforexercise.Thissuggeststhatimprovedgreenspaceusebythesegroupswouldalsobemoreactiveuse,andcouldmakeanespeciallyimportantcontributiontobetterhealthinblackandminorityethnicgroups.

‘ One thing that got us together was football. We grew up playing together, it brought us together. No type of racial tension here, it was simply because of that football pitch. Several years ago it got demolished for flats. It’s a real shame. Now there’s lots of tension between whites and Asians’Young Bengali male, focus group participant, London

139 Decent parks? Decent behaviour? The link between the quality of parks and user behaviourCABEspace,2005www.cabeurl.com/cg

43

4. Local people are best placed to know what they want from green space

Somegroupsvisitedgreenspacesmorethanothers,andfordifferentpurposes,withphysicalactivity(asreferredtoabove)andsocialpatternsofusegenerallymorepopularamongblackandminorityethnicinterviewees.Theyweremorelikelytovisitgreenspaceforsocialreasonsthanthewhiteinterviewees.Infact,inoursurvey,aperson’sethnicitywasthestrongestindicatorofthewaytheyusetheirlocalgreenspaces.

Theprovisionofgreenspaceservicesmusttakeintoaccountthepreferencesandneedsoflocalpeople.‘Onesizefitsall’greenspacedoesnotwork:onlyflexiblespaceswillmeettheneedsofadiversecommunity.Thecommunityshouldbegiventhechancetomakespacesfitforpurpose.Theunusuallyhighresponsetooursurveydemonstratedtheconcernpeoplehaveabouttheirlocalgreenspace.Greatervarietyandflexibilityinprovisionisrequiredaswellasconsistentlyhigherqualityinallareas.

AstheethnicandageprofileoftheUKchanges,greenspacemanagersneedtounderstandtheattitudes,needsanddifferentreasonsforgreenspaceuseamonglocalgroups.Theymustworkhardertoinvolvetheircommunityinthemanagement,planninganddeliveryofspaces,andexistingwaysofworkingmaynolongerbeappropriate.Activemarketingofsites;eventsandactivitiessuchascommunityfundays;guidedwalks;spaceforallotments;andconsideringalternativeusesofspecificareaswillallbolsterusageandresultinahealthierandmoresatisfiedcommunity.

‘ We don’t mix with boys. We need somewhere to go to be away from our parents, somewhere just for girls’ Young Pakistani female, focus group participant, Greater Manchester

‘ I want colour – flowers, all different colours. I want to be able to walk out there, sit down…enjoy the peace, quiet and enjoy the colour’ White male, focus group participant, London

What CABE is doingCABE’sSpaceshaperisapracticaltoolkitthatcapturespeople’sviewsaboutaspace.Resultscanbecomparedbetweendifferentgroupsandusedtoagreesharedprioritiesforactionbeforetimeandmoneyisinvestedinimprovements.Youngpeopleareoftenoverlookedincommunityengagement.Spaceshaper9-14canbeusedinschoolsandyouthclubs,enablingyoungpeopletogetinvolvedinimprovingtheirlocalparks,streets,playgroundsandotherspaces.140

140 www.cabe.org.uk/public-space/spaceshaper

44

The quality of your local green space is of fundamental importance. But some people are missing out. Access to decent green space, alongside housing, health and education, is a basic requirement for a good quality of life. Public green spaces are a local resource for exercise and socialising, community events and education, and offer respite from the pressures of urban living. Locally led green space improvements foster community pride and create spaces people feel safe and confident using. If spaces provide what local people want they will be better used and offer a far better return on investment. The current inequality of provision matters, especially as the ethnic and age profile of the UK changes. Everyone wants to live in an area that has a pleasant and safe environment. The individual and community benefits are immeasurable.

Our research concludes that it makes sense to focus on the people in the community who are worse off. Improving green space in urban areas benefits those that have most to gain.

Conclusion

‘ It’s high up, and there’s a lovely view of the city, a nice Italian café and a pergola. There’s a sense of being lost somewhere in time. There’s high grass, ponds, different people mixing and a family spirit. Children can play safely there; it’s always good for people-watching. I love it because it takes you out of the city. I walk and walk and I breathe. For me this park would have the top award’ White female, focus group participant, London

Why these findings matter to everyoneOurstudyaskedpeoplehowimportantaccesstogreenspaceistoagoodlivingenvironment.Theimportanceofthiswascomparedtosevenotherfactorstested,includingsuitabilityofhousingandareasafetyandsecurity.141

Accesstogreenspacecontributedaround10percenttowardswhatmadeanareaagoodplacetolive.

Thestudyalsofoundthattheneedforaccesstogreenspaceisabasicandconsistentfactor,regardlessofwhoyouareorwhereyoulive.142

Overall,areasafetyandsecuritywereconsideredmostimportant,contributing16percenttowardsmakinganarea‘agoodplacetolive’.Thisresultvariedinimportanceaccordingtopeople’sethnicity,withBangladeshi,blackAfricanandAfrican-Caribbeanpeopleratingsafetyasthesecondmostimportantattributeafterthedesignandconstructionofhousing.

141 Theotherfactorswereairquality,suitabilityofhousing,areasafetyandsecurity,noisepollution,shoppingfacilities,publictransportandwastedisposal.

142 OursurveyusedquestionsdevelopedaspartofaEuropean-wideprogrammeofresearch.TheresultswerecomparedwithdatafromsixEuropeanregions.Inthiswiderdatasetaccesstogreenspacealsocontributed10percent,indicatingthisisaconsistentattributeinmakinganareaagoodplacetoliveregardlessofindividualdifferencessuchaslevelofincome,ethnicityandcountryofresidencewww.plurel.net

45

Bibliography

Agyeman,J(2001),EthnicminoritiesinBritain:shortchange,systematicindifferenceandsustainabledevelopment,Journalofenvironmentalpolicyandplanning,3:15-30.

Agyeman,JandNeal,Seds.,(2006),Thenewcountryside?Ethnicity,nationandexclusionincontemporaryruralBritain,Bristol:Policypress.

Amin,A(2002),Ethnicityandthemulti-culturalcity:livingwithdiversity,areportfortheDepartmentofTransport,LocalGovernmentandtheRegionsandtheESRCCitiesinitiative.

Askins.K(2004),Visiblecommunities’useandperceptionsoftheNorthYorkmoorsandPeakDistrictNationalParks:apolicyguidancedocumentforNationalParksuthorities.

Bell,S.andZuin,A(2008),Socialandqualityoflifeindicators:selectionofindicatorsanddevelopmentofconjointstudy.PLURELmilestonenumbers4.3.5and4.3.10,December2008.SustainabilityImpactAssessmentModuleNo.4.

BhopalRS(2007),Ethnicity,race,andhealthinmulticulturalsocieties:foundationsforbetterepidemiology,publichealth,andhealthcare.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.

BurgessJ,Harrison,CMandLimbM(1988),People,parksandtheurbangreen:astudyofpopularmeaningsandvaluesforopenspacesinthecity,Urbanstudies25:455-473.

Campbell,F,Bodley,AandBerkleyC(2007),Measuringqualityoflife:doeslocalenvironmentalqualitymatter?AnENCAMSresearchreport,August2007.

Clark,KandDrinkwater,S(2002),Enclaves,neighbourhoodeffectsandemploymentoutcomes:ethnicminoritiesinEnglandandWales.Journalofpopulationeconomics15:5-29.

Cradock,A,Kawachi,I,Colditz,Hannon,C,Melly,S,Weicha,J,Gortmaker,S(2005),PlaygroundsafetyandaccessinBostonneighbourhoods.Americanjournalofpreventivemedicine28:357–363.

Crawford,D,TemperioA,Giles-Corti,B,Ball,Ketal(2007),Dofeaturesofpublicopenspacesvary

accordingtoneighbourhoodsocio-economicstatus?Healthandplace,14(4):889-893.

Comber,AJ,Brunsdon,C.andGreen,E.(2008),UsingaGIS-basednetworkanalysistodetermineurbangreenspaceaccessibilityfordifferentethnicandreligiousgroups.Landscapeandurbanplanning,86:103–114.

CountrysideAgency(2005a),‘Whataboutus?’Diversityreviewevidence–partone.Challengingperceptions:under-representedvisitorneeds.EthnosreportfortheCountrysideAgencywww.cabeurl.com/ch

Daley,PO(2002),BlackAfricansinGreatBritain:spatialconcentrationandsegregation,Urbanstudies,35(10):1703-1724.

Davison,K.K.andLawson,C.T(2006),Doattributesinthephysicalenvironmentinfluencechildren’sphysicalactivity?Areviewoftheliterature.Internationaljournalofbehaviouralnutritionandphysicalactivity,3:19.

Davidson,S,MartinCandTreanorS(2008),Scottishenvironmentalattitudesandbehaviourssurvey(SEABS08),undertakenbyIPSOSMORIwww.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/

deVries,S.,Verheij,R.A.,Groenewegen,P.P.,Spreeuwenberg,P(2003),Naturalenvironments-healthyenvironments?Anexploratoryanalysisoftherelationshipbetweengreenspaceandhealth.EnvironmentandplanningA,35:1717-1731.

DienerE,EmmonsRA,LarsenRJ,GriffinS(1985),Thesatisfactionwithlifescale,Journalofpersonalityassessment,49,1.DinesNandCatellVwithGeslerWandCurtisC(2006),PublicspacesandsocialrelationsinEastLondon,JosephRowntreeFoundation.

Edwards,DandWeldon,S(2006),RaceequalityandtheForestryCommission,ForestResearchreport.

EllawayA,MacintyreS,MutrieN,KirkA(2007),Nowheretoplay?TherelationshipbetweenthelocationofoutdoorplayareasanddeprivationinGlasgow.Healthandplace;13:557-561.

46

FaberTaylor,A,Kuo,FE.andSullivan,W(2002),Viewsofnatureandselfdiscipline:evidencefrominner-citychildren,Journalofenvironmentalpsychology,22:49-63.

FaberTaylorAandKuoFE(2009),Childrenwithattentiondeficitsconcentratebetterafterwalkinpark,Journalofattentiondisorders,vol12(5):402-409.

Giles-Corti,B.,Brommhall,M.,Kniuman,M.,Collins,C.,Douglas,K.,Ng,K.,Lange,AandDonovan,R(2005),Increasingwalking:howimportantisdistancetoattractivenessandsizeofpublicopenspace?Americanjournalofpreventativemedicine,28:169-176.

Gobster,PH(2002),Managingurbanparksforaraciallyandethnicallydiverseclientele,Leisureservices24:143-159.

GrahnPandStigsdotterUA(2003),Landscapeplanningandstress,Urbanforestryandurbangreening,2(1):1-18.

GriewP(2008),TowhatextentdoethnicityandthebuiltenvironmentinfluencephysicalactivityfromadeprivedareainLondon?FirstannualconferenceofHEPAEurope,Glasgow,Scotland,8-9thSeptember2008.

Hartig,T.,Evans,G.W.,Jamner,L.D.,Davies,D.SandGärling,T(2003),Trackingrestorationinnaturalandurbanfieldsettings,Journalofenvironmentalpsychology,23:109-123.

Hughes,ME,WaiteLJ,Hawkley,LC,CacioppoJT(2004),Ashortscaleformeasuringlonelinessinlargesurveys,resultsfromtwopopulationbasedstudies,Researchonaging,Vol26(6):655-672.Jacobs,MandTinsleyJ(2006),Ethnicityanddeprivation:aregionalperspectivewww.cabeurl.com/cj

Kessel,A.,Pinder,R.,Green,J.,Wilkinson,P.,Lachowycz,K.,Grundy,C(2005),Communityhealthandgreenspaces,Thameschasecommunityforest:THERAPIresearchreportwww.cabeurl.com/ck

Kuo,F.E(2001),Copingwithpoverty:impactsofenvironmentandattentionintheinner-city,Environmentandbehaviour,33(1):5-34.

KuoF.E.andSullivanW.C(2001a),Aggressionandviolenceintheinner-city:effectsofenvironmentonmentalfatigue,Environmentandbehaviour,33(4):543-571.

KuoF.E.andSullivanW.C(2001b),Environmentandcrimeintheinner-city:effectsofenvironmentviamentalfatigue,Environmentandbehaviour,33(3):343-367.

Kweon,B.S.,W.C.SullivanandA.Wiley(1998),Greencommonspacesandthesocialintegrationofinner-cityolderadults,Environmentandbehaviour30:832-858.

Liu,G.G.,Wilson,J.S.,Qi,R.andYing,R(2007),Greenneighbourhoods,foodretailandchildhoodoverweight:differencesbypopulationdensity.Americanjournalofhealthpromotion,21(4),317-25.

LingWong,Judy(2007),Culture,heritageandaccesstoopenspaces,chapter4inOpenspace,peoplespace,WardThomspon,CandTravlou,T.TaylorandFrancis,eds,.

Loukaitou-Sideris,A.(1995),Urbanformandsocialcontext:culturaldifferentiationintheuseofparks,Journalofplanningeducationandresearch,14:89-154.

LingWong,Judy(2009),Theenvironmentbelongstoallofus:avisionofethnicenvironmentalparticipationintheUnitedKingdom,chapter8inEnvironmentaljusticeinthenewmillennium:globalperspectivesonrace,ethnicityandhumanrights.AnthologyofarticleseditedbySteady,P(WellesleyUniversity,Boston).

Maas,J.,vanDillen,S.M.E,Verheij,R.A.,Groenewegen,P.P(2009a),Socialcontactsasapossiblemechanismbehindtherelationbetweengreenspaceandhealth,Healthandplace.Vol15(2):586-595.

Maas,J.,Spreeuwenberg,P.,VanWinsum-Westra,M.,Verheij,R.A.,M.,deVries,S,Groenewegen,P.P(2009b),Isgreenspaceinthelivingenvironmentassociatedwithpeople’sfeelingsofsocialsafety?EnvironmentandplanningA,Vol41(7):1763-1777.

47

Maas,J.,Verheij,R.A.,deVries,S.,Spreeuwenberg,P.,Groenewegen,P.P.,Schellevis,G.S(2009c),Morbidityisrelatedtoagreenlivingenvironment,Journalofepidemiologyandcommunityhealth.

Maas,J.,Verheij,R.A.,Spreeuwenberg,P.andVerheij,R.Groenewegen,P.P(2008),Physicalactivityasapossiblemechanismbehindtherelationshipbetweengreenspaceandhealth:amultilevelanalysis,BMCpublichealth,8:206.

Maas,J,,Verheij,R.A.,Groenewegen,P.P.,deVries,S.,Spreeuwenberg,P(2006),Greenspace,urbanityandhealth:howstrongistherelation?Journalofepidemiologicalcommunityhealth,60:587-592.

MacintyreS,MacDonaldL,EllawayA(2008),Dopoorerpeoplehavepooreraccesstolocalresourcesandfacilities?ThedistributionoflocalresourcesbyareadeprivationinGlasgow,Scotland.Socialscienceandmedicine:67:900-14.

MadanipourA(2004),MarginalpublicspacesinEuropeancities,Journalofurbandesign:9(3):276-286.

Madge,C(1997),Publicparksandthegeographyoffear,Tijdschriftvooreconmischeensocialegeografie88(3):237-250.

Mitchell,RandPopham,F(2008),Effectofexposuretonaturalenvironmentonhealthinequalities:anobservationalpopulationstudy,TheLancet,372(9650):1655-1660.

Mitchell,RandPopham,F(2007),Greenspace,urbanityandhealth:relationshipsinEngland,Journalofepidemiologyandcommunityhealth,61:681-683.

Nasar,J.L(2008),Assessingperceptionsofenvironmentsforactivelivingresearch.Americanjournalofpreventivemedicine,34:357-363.

Orme,B(1996),WhichconjointmethodshouldIuse?Sawtoothsolutions,Sawtoothtechnicalpapers.

OttossonJandGrahnP(2005),Acomparisonofleisuretimespentinagardenwithleisuretimespentindoorsonmeasuresofrestorationinresidentsingeriatriccare,Landscaperesearch:30(1):23-55.

Owen,N.,Humpel,N.,Leslie,E.,Bauman,A.,Sallis,J.F(2004),Understandingenvironmentalinfluencesonwalking;reviewandresearchagenda,Americanjournalofpreventativemedicine,27(1):67-76.

Powell,M.andRishbeth,C(unpublishedpaper),Flexibilityinplaceandmeaningsofplaceamongfirstgenerationmigrants.

Platts,L(2006),PovertyandethnicityintheUK,areportfortheJosephRowntreeFoundationwww.cabeurl.com/cl

Platts,L(2009),Ethnicityandfamily:relationshipswithinandbetweenethnicgroups:ananalysisusingtheLabourForceSurvey,areportfortheEqualityandhumanrightscommissionwww.cabeurl.com/c2

RavenscroftNandMarkwellS(2000),Ethnicityandtheintegrationandexclusionofyoungpeoplethroughurbanparkandrecreationprovision.Managingleisure,5:135-150.

RishbethC(2004),Ethno-culturalrepresentationintheurbanlandscape.Journalofurbandesign,9(3):311–333.

Rishbeth,C(2001),Ethnicminoritygroupsandthedesignofpublicopenspace:aninclusivelandscape?Landscaperesearch,26(4):351–366.

Rodgers,S.E.andLyons,R.A(2008),Doesthebuiltenvironment’swalkabilityhelpdeterminehealth?Postersubmission,HEPAEurope,Europeannetworkforthepromotionofhealth-enhancingphysicalactivity,Glasgow,8-9September2008.

RyanM(2004),Discretechoiceexperimentsinhealthcare,Britishmedicaljournal,328,360–361.

Rowe,N(2001),Socialinclusioninsport:thesociallandscapeofsport–recognisingthechallengeandrealisingthepotential,CountrysideRecreationNetwork.

Sullivan,W.C.,Kuo,F.E.,Depooter,S.F(2004),Thefruitofurbannature:vitalneighbourhoodspaces,Environmentandbehaviour,36:678-700.

Sugiyama,T.,Leslie,E.,Giles-Corti,B.,andOwen,N(2008),Associationsofneighbourhoodgreennesswithphysicalandmentalhealth:

48

dowalking,socialcoherenceandlocalsocialinteractionexplaintherelationships?Journalofepidemiologyandcommunityhealth,62(5)e9.

Sugiyama,T.,WardThompson,C.andAlves,S(2009),AssociationsbetweenneighbourhoodopenspaceattributesandqualityoflifeforolderpeopleinBritain,Environmentandbehaviour,41(1):3-21.

Topia-Kelly,DP(2004),Landscape,raceandmemory:biographicalmappingoftheroutesofBritishAsianlandscapevalues,Landscaperesearch,29(3):277-292.

Ulrich,R.S.,Simons,R.V.,Losito,B.D.,Fiorito,E.,Miles,M.A.andZelson,M(1991),Stressrecoveryduringexposuretonatureandurbanenvironments.Journalofenvironmentalpsychology,11:201-230.

vandenBerg,AE,Koole,SL,vanderWulp(2003),Environmentalpreferenceandrestoration:(how)aretheyrelated?Journalofenvironmentalpsychology,23(2):135-146.

VeitchJ,Salmon,JandBall,K(2008),Children’sactivefreeplayinlocalneighbourhoods:abehaviouralmappingstudy,Healtheducationresearch,23(5):870-879.

WardThompson,C.,Travlou,P.andRoe,J(2006),Freerangeteenagers:theroleofwildadventurespaceinyoungpeople’slives;preparedforNaturalEnglandwww.cabeurl.com/cm

WoolleyHandAminN,(1999),Pakistaniteenagers’useofpublicopenspaceinSheffield,Managingleisure,4:156-167.

WorpoleKandGreenhalgh(1995),Parklife:urbanparksandsocialrenewal,ComediaandDemos.

49

Appendix 1: Summary of international literature review

Abercrombieetal(2008)foundevidenceofincomeandraceinequalitiesinaccesstopublicparksbutnotinaccesstoprivaterecreationalfacilitiesinMaryland,America.Fewerparkswerefoundinresidentialareasthathavehighblackandminorityethnicpopulations(bothhighandlowincome).Thelargestnumberofparkswasfoundinethnicallymixed,middle-incomeneighbourhoods.Inthiscontext,incomedeprivationappearedtohavelessofanegativerelationshipwithparkdistributionthanrace.

Heynenetal(2006)revealbothraceandincomeinequalitiesinthedistributionofurbantreecanopycoverwithinMilwaukeeandfindastrongpositivecorrelationbetweenresidentialcanopycoverandmedianhouseholdincome.

GobsterandWestphal(2003)foundthequalityofopenspacesinlower-incomeAfrican-Americanneighbourhoodswasworsethaninothersocio-economicneighbourhoods,withalowerpercentageoftreevegetationandhigherpercentageofvandalism.

AGordon-Larsenetal(2006)studyonAmericanteenagersfoundthatthoseonalowincome,andthosefromablackorminorityethnicgroup,hadreducedaccesstorecreationalfacilities,includingparksandoutdoorfacilitiessuchastenniscourts.Similarly,Powelletal(2006)revealincomeandraceinequalitiesinaccesstorecreationalfacilities,butdidnotspecificallymeasureaccesstogreenspace.

Estabrooksetal(2003)alsofoundincomeinequalitiesinaccessingfreephysicalactivityfacilities,includingparks,withmorefacilitiesavailableinwealthierneighbourhoodscomparedtothosewithlowandmediumsocio-economicstatus.Kuo(2001)concludedthatlow-incomemulti-familyhousinglackedsurroundinggreenspacesandotherleisureamenities.

InAustralia,Temperioetal(2007)foundthattheavailabilityofpublicopenspace(percentageasmeasuredbyageographicinformationsystem)appearedtobeequitablydistributedacrossneighbourhoodsofvaryingsocio-economicstatus,suggestingequitableplanningguidelinesforopenspaceaccessinAustraliamaybeauniqueandinfluentialfactor.However,likemuchoftheresearchreviewed,thisstudyonlyconsideredtheavailabilityofparks,andnottheparkfeaturesthatmayinfluencepeople’smotivationstoaccessit.

Elsewhere,parkfeatures(suchasquality,amenity,safety)havebeenfoundtobeanimportantpredictorofwalkinginadultsinAustralia(Giles-Cortietal2005).ThenotionthatqualitymaybeafactorisfurthersupportedintheAustraliancontextbyCrawfordetal(2008)whofoundincomeinequalitiesinaccesstoparkandpublicopenspaceintermsoftheamenitiesoffered.Publicopenspaceinhighersocio-economicneighbourhoodshadmoreamenities,moretrees,waterfeatures,paths,lightingandsignage.

InAmerica,Cradocketal(2005)foundaccesstoplayfacilitiesinBostonwasreducedinlower-incomeneighbourhoodsandthosewithhighblackandminorityethnicpopulations.ButinAustralia,conflictingevidencewasfound:Crawfordetal(2008)foundnoincomedifferencesintheprovisionofplayfacilities,whereasVeitchetal(2008)foundchildreninpoorerurbanneighbourhoodshadlessaccesstoplayfacilitiescomparedtohigher-incomegroupsinurbanareas.

50

Appendix 2: Summary of UK research on ethnicity and urban public space

Author Method Study group Main findings

PowellandRishbeth(unpublishedpaper)

Qualitative(audiomethodologies)

First-generationmigrants,Sheffield,anduseofurbanstreetscape

Culturaladaptation,socialintegration

Opportunitiesfortemporaryescapeandforpersonalchange

Developmentofnewskills(usingpublictransport)

Dinesetal(2006)

Qualitative(focusgroupsethnographicanalysis,semi-structuredinterviews)

Newham,London(cross-sectionofthelocalresidentialpopulationintermsofethnicity,age,genderandhousingtenure)

Opportunitiesfortemporaryescapeandforpersonalchange

Rishbeth(2004and2001)

Qualitativeandquantitative(2-yearproject,mixedmethods)

UsersofChumleighGardens(Southwark,London),CalthorpeProject(King’sCross,London).WhiteBritish,AsianandblackAfricanpeople.

Divergencebetweengroupsonvalueof‘wild’,convergenceonqualityandmanagement.

Nostalgia/reminiscingvaluedexperiences

Socialgatheringsandwelcomingspace

Topia-Kelly(2004)

Qualitative(biographies)

Asianwomen Nostalgiaviagardening/sensoryexperienceoflandscape

RavenscroftandMarkwell(2000)

Qualitative(interviewsofparkusersplusobservation)

Teenageusersof8parksinReading

BlackyouthsexperiencelowerlevelsofsatisfactionthaneitherwhiteorAsianyouths,greaterdissatisfactionwithneighbourhoodparks

Personalsafety,parksleastsafeenvironmentsinthetown

WoolleyandAmin(1999)

Qualitativeandquantitative(Focusgroups,questionnaire)

Pakistaniteenagers,aged13-18,Sheffield

Peerinteractionmainreasonforvisitinglocalparks

Cricketandfootball,mainphysicalactivity

WorpoleandGreenhalgh(1995)

Qualitativeandquantitative(surveys,interviews,observation,12localauthorities)

MinorityethnicparkusersinMiddlesbrough,Hounslow(London),Greenwich(London)andLeicester

Culturalidentity

Family/friendgatherings

Burgessetal(1988)

Qualitativeandquantitative(Focusgroups,householdsurveybyinterview)

Mixedcross-section,localresidents,Greenwich(London)andonesinglegendergroupofAsianwomen.

Socialinteraction

Therapeuticvalue

Nostalgicvalue

Preferenceforlocalopenspace,aspirationsformorevariety

51

Appendix 3: Summary of the project review

Over50projectsengagingcommunitiesinurbangreenspacewerereviewed.ThemajorityofprojectsexploredwereinLondon,theNorth-WestandtheWestMidlands,andwerebasedinlocalneighbourhoodgreenspaces,ratherthanlarger,formalspaces.

Type of project

Project and organisation

Community Date Website (where applicable)

Community event

Park-it!eventorganisedbyGreenSpace,CrossFlatsPark,Leeds

DiversecommunityinBeeston,Leeds,includingAsian,African-CaribbeanpeopleandasylumseekersfromAfricaandtheMiddleEast

2006 www.cabeurl.com/cq

Conservation Saanjihproject,BTCV,Birmingham

Asianwomenwithmentalhealthproblems

2002-04 www.cabeurl.com/d3

Outandaboutproject,BTCV,Leeds

Refugees 2005-06 www.cabeurl.com/d4

Education Pocket,urbanstreetcorner,BlackEnvironmentNetworkandHalalmosque,Manchester

DiversecommunityincludingwhiteBritish,AsianandVietnameseresidents

2004 www.ben-network.org.uk/

Europeanknowledge-exchangeproject,BlackEnvironmentNetwork

Woodville,Manchester,highChinese,VietnameseandAfrican-Caribbeanpopulation

2006 www.ben-network.org.uk/

Outdoorclassroom,BenJonsonprimaryschool,MileEnd,London

SchoolwhereeverypupilspeaksEnglishasasecondlanguage

2007-08

Projectmanagerswereinterviewedoverthetelephone,orinformationontheprojectswascapturedviaemail.Theprojectreviewprovidedasnapshotoftherangeofprojectsonthegroundengagingurbananddeprivedcommunitiesinlocalgreenspace.Itwasnotpossibletointerviewparticipantsintheprojects.Thereforethereviewlargelyreflectstheinterestsofthestakeholdersconsulted.

52

Type of project

Project Community Date Website (where applicable)

Forest ForestryCommission’sNewlands(Neweconomicenvironmentsthroughwoodlands)reclaiminglargeareasofderelict,underusedandneglectedlandacrossNorth-WestEngland

Areasofdeprivation Ongoing www.forestry.gov.uk/newlands

Ex-landfillsiteestablishedascommunitywoodland,IngrebourneHill,Rainham,London

Areasofdeprivation 2007-08

Braithwaiteopenspace,TreesforCities,TowerHamlets,London

BangladeshiandPakistanipeople

2007-08

Health ActiveSefton,North-WestEngland,Walkingthewaytohealthinitiative,addressinginequalitiesinphysicalactivity

Parentswithyoungchildren,elderlypeople,peoplewithspecificphysicalrehabilitationneeds

2006 www.cabeurl.com/cs

Let’swalk,Braunstone,EastMidlands

Deprivedresidentsoflargeinner-cityestateinLeicester.Bangladeshi,Pakistani,African-CaribbeanandIndiancommunity

2006 www.cabeurl.com/ct

Goldenwalks,Islington,London

Older,Chinesepeople

2000onwards

www.cabeurl.com/cv

Getfitforfree!Sustransactivetravelprogramme,MarshFarmhousingestate,Luton

Areaofdeprivation 2005onwards

www.cabeurl.com/cw

Healthylivingproject,BanksideOpenSpacesTrust,London

PeoplewithnogardeninBanksideandBoroughneighbourhoodrenewalarea,London

2005-08 www.bost.org.uk/

53

Type of project

Project Community Date Website (where applicable)

Historic GatewayGardensTrust Inner-cityschools,familiesonlowincomes,asylumseekers,andblackandminorityethnicgroups,inWalesandWestMidlands

Ongoing www.gatewaygardenstrust.org

Middlegatecommunitygarden,GreatYarmouth

Youngoffendersviatheprobationaryserviceandlocalresidents

2004 www.cabeurl.com/cx

(Ad)dressingthegarden,KenilworthCastlegardens

AsianwomeninpartnershipwithCoventryCarersCentre

Completed www.cabeurl.com/d0

Communityartsfestival,ChiswickHousegrounds

Engaginghard-to-reachgroupsincludingyoungpeopleviaHounslowyouthservices

2005 www.cabeurl.com/cz

Pastskillsforthefuture,LutonHoowalledgarden

Youngpeopleatrisk 2008 www.cabeurl.com/d1

SuttonHouse,blackhistoryevent,NationalTrust

Localschools,elderly,localresidentsinHackney

2003 www.cabeurl.com/dl

SpekeHallpodcast,Liverpool,NationalTrust

Youngpeopleatrisk 2006 www.cabeurl.com/dm

Housing ThreecommunityprojectsledbyWhitelawTurkingtonArchitects

Diversecommunity 1996onwards

RegenerationofsocialhousinggreenspaceledbyPeabodyon3estatesincludingHammersmithsunkengardenandPeabodywoodland,HerneHill,London

Diversecommunity 2004onwards

Shakespeareneighbourhoodresidentsassociation’scommunityorchard

Socialhousingtenants

Ongoing www.cabeurl.com/d5

Environmentalimprovementsto4estatesmanagedbyBoltonatHome

Socialhousingtenants

2006-08 www.cabeurl.com/d6

54

Type of project

Project Community Date Website (where applicable)

Play Jubileeplayscape,Tolworth,GroundworkLondon

TwodeprivedwardsinKingstonuponThames

2007-08 www.cabeurl.com/d7

Regeneration of green space

Ourgreenspace,3-yearCumbria-wideenvironmentalinitiative

Areaofhighdeprivation

2008-10 www.ourgreenspace.org.uk/

Parklife,historicparkrenewalprojects

Areasofhighdeprivation

2004 www.cabeurl.com/cn

Urbandoorstepgreen,PeterPanPark,Islington,London

Bengali,Cypriot,whiteIrishpeopleandsocialtenants

2001-06 www.cabeurl.com/co

Pocketurbanparkproject,Groundwork,LeytonManorPark,EastLondon

Multi-cultural(Turkish,Asian,African-Caribbean),youngpeople,theelderly

2007-08

Birchwoodcommunitymemorialpark,RAFSkellingthorpe,Lincoln

Areaofhighdeprivation

2006-07 www.cabeurl.com/cp

Urban Farming

BacktoEarth,Hackneycityfarm,London

Areaofhighdeprivation,refugeesandasylumseekers,childrenlivinginpovertyandyoungpeople

2006andongoing

www.back2earth.org.uk/

Wildlife Livingroots,WarwickshireWildlifeTrust

Youngrefugees 2008-10 www.cabeurl.com/d2

GoinglocalLondonWildlifeTrust

Diversecommunity 2007-08 www.londonwildlife.org.uk

LondonWildlifeTrustreservoiraccessprojectsinStokeNewington,HackneyandWalthamstow,London

Jewish,Muslim,TurkishandAfrican-Caribbeanresidents

2007

55

Appendix 4: Focus groups to inform CABE household survey

Focusgroupswereheldincommunitycentresinfourofthecasestudyareas:LondonA,LondonB,GreaterManchesterBandWestMidlandsA.143

Thegroupsaimedtoinvolvearangeofpeopletobroadlymirrorthearea’sdemographicmake-up.Atotalof44participantsaged16yearsandovertookpart.144Mostsessionswerearoundtwohoursandallparticipantswereencouragedtojoinin.Individualsweresteeredawayfromanyattempttodominatethediscussion.InGreaterManchesterBtwofocusgroupswereheldatthesametime–onefemale-onlygroupandonemale-onlygroup.

Location Time Number of participants

Male Female Ethnicity

GreaterManchesterB Lunchtime 13 5 8 WhiteBritish,IndianandAfrican-Caribbean

LondonA Afternoon 6 5 1 WhiteBritish.BangladeshiandAfrican-Caribbean

LondonB Evening 13 5 8 BangladeshiandPakistani

WestMidlandsA Afternoon 12 3 9 Pakistani

Themes of discussion

Eachfocusgroupwasorganisedaroundasemi-structuredinterviewschedulebasedonthefollowingthemes:

• people’sfeelingstowardstheirlocalneighbourhoodandperceptionsofthequalityoflocalpubliclyaccessiblegreenspace

• people’suseofgreenspaceandthequalityofexperience

• people’sfavouritespacesandchildhoodmemoriesofgreenspace145

• aspirationsforlocalgreenspace• barriersexperiencedinusinglocalgreenspace.

Perceptions of neighbourhood and green space quality

Inallfourgroupsthequalityofphysicalenvironmentwasdescribednegatively,‘dire,’‘verybad’;referencesweremadetodrugusers,‘needlesonthegrass’;andalackofsecurityandsafetywasageneralconcerninalllocations.

Focusgroupsheldwithintheareasthathadhighblackandminorityethnicpopulationsdefinedthelocalneighbourhoodculturally.ForinstanceGreaterManchesterBwasdescribedas‘it’smorePakistanithananythingelse’.

Theneighbourhoodwasalsodefinedsociallybytwogroups(GreaterManchesterBandLondonA)butverydifferentlyineach.InGreaterManchesterB,thesenseofcommunitywasextremelypositive,

143 Theorganisationoffocusgroupsandrecruitmentofparticipantswasgreatlyfacilitatedbytheassistanceofprofessionalsworkingonthegroundinthesecommunities.Asathankyoufortheircontribution,participantsreceivedasupermarketvoucher.

144 Thegroupsaimedtoattracteightparticipants.Highernumbersofpeopleparticipatedinthegroupsthanexpected.

145 Afactorthatisknowntoinfluenceusagelaterinlife.

56

‘everyonewelcome’,‘everyonegetsalong’.ThiswasincontrasttoalackofsocialcohesioninLondonA,‘there’snotacommunityhere’,inpartattributedtoaswiftturnaroundinflatsinthislocation.

Localgreenspacewasfrequentlydescribednegatively,‘verybad’,‘poorfacilities’,‘nothingtodo’.However,urbangreenspacefurtherafield,andlargerparks,wereperceivedtobemuchbetter.

Participantswereaskedtodefinegreenspaceinordertounderstandthetypesofspacespeoplewerelikelytobediscussing.Acrossallgroups,greenspacewasunderstoodtoincludeparks,grassyareas,hillyplacesandopenspacesaswellasareassuchascanaltowpathsandsportspitches.

Definitionsofgreenspacerangedfromthesmallscale(acommunitygardenorallotment,individualtrees)tothelargescale(localcountryside,woodsandfields).Insomecasesgreenspacewasdefinedbyaspecificactivity(cycling,picnicking)orinmoreabstractterms(freshair).

Therewerenodistinctivedifferencesindefinitionbetweengroups,butyoungerparticipants(particularlyyoungmen)definedgreenspaceintermsofsportsactivities.Peoplerecognisedthebenefitsofgreenspaceprovisionintermsoftheprovisionofrecreation,providingpositiveenvironmentalservices,andforitshealthbenefits,forinstanceaplacetogoforfreshair.

Use of green space in urban areas

WiththeexceptionofLondonA,mostparticipantsreportedvisitinggreenspacesfairlyregularly,‘wegooften,threeorfourtimesaweek’(WestMidlandsA).ParticipantsintheLondonAfocusgroupreportedfeelingsofinsecurityandlackofsafetyinlocalgreenspaceswhichinturnledtoalowerlevelofuse.

Themostfrequentlymentionedurbangreenspaceswereparksand,inGreaterManchesterB,sportspitches.Theuseofspacesverymuchvariedbyage:youngpeopleweredrawntogreenspaceforsocialising,datingandsports.Mostparticipantsreportedgoingonfoot,usuallywithfriendsandfamily–especiallyyoungfemalePakistaniandBangladeshiwomen,‘alwayswithsomebody,’‘ladiesdon’tgo[tothepark]aloneinthisarea,you’dgowithfriends’.

Onlyafewmenreportedgoingaloneforawalkorajoginalocalpark.ResidentsinLondonBappearedtoaccessgreenspaceusingpublictransportortheirownvehiclesmuchmorethanothergroups.Thisispossiblyduetothelackofgreenspaceintheimmediateareaasthiswasthecasestudylocationwiththeleastgreenspace.

Thereasonsforvisitingurbangreenspacewereverysimilaramongthegroups.Irrespectiveofageorethnicity,themostfrequentlymentionedreasonswerefor:

relaxation,tranquillity,breathingspace fun(dating,socialising,festivals,

carnivalsandevents) freshair,freedom exerciseandsport toplaywithchildren/grandchildren.

‘ They’ve invested money there [West Midlands A park] – so it’s not bad, but take away [that park], for the other areas, it becomes hardly any [good-quality green space], it’s really bad’. Pakistani female participant, West Midlands A

‘ …it’s high up, lovely view of the city, a nice Italian café and a pergola. There’s, a sense of being lost somewhere in time. There’s high grass, ponds, different people mixing and a family spirit. Children can play safely there; it’s always good for people watching. I love it because it takes you out of the city. I walk and walk and I breathe. For me this park would have the top award.’ White British female participant, London B

57

‘ We use them for seeing girls in the park, chill out from our houses…football.’ ‘ Feel the freedom, fresh air, you go like, you know, when you’re worrying about something…lie down, sit down, just think’.Young male Bangladeshi participants, Greater Manchester B

‘ The ponds, the big boating lake and fishing lake, you’d ride your bike, have a laugh and a joke…health and safety have killed a lot of this, the park rangers have killed it [i.e. cycling].’ White British male participant, London A

‘ I want colour – flowers, all different colours, I want to be able to walk out there and see all different colours, sit down…enjoy the peace, quiet and enjoy the colour’ White British male participant, London A

Childhood memories of green space

Participantsrecountedmanypositivememoriesofgreenspace,particularlytheolderparticipants.Peopleenjoyedrecollectingtheirmemoriesanditwasinthiscontextthatmanypositiveimagesofgreenspacewereevoked.Inyoungerpeoplememoriesweremostlyofsportactivities(playingfootball),whichwasattributedtoreducingracialtensionamongthecommunity.Manyreportedchangesinsafetyandreducedopportunitiesforrisk-takingwhencomparingtheirearlierexperiencesofchildhood.

Aspirations for local green space

People’s‘wish-list’fortheirlocalurbangreenspaceswaslargelybasedonpositiverecollectionsofgreenspaceexperiencedintheiryouth,whichtheyfrequentlytalkedaboutwithnostalgia.YoungPakistaniparticipants(maleandfemale)particularlywantedmoresportfacilitiesappropriatetotheirculture,askingforcricketandfootballasopposedtoskate-boarding.Muslimyoungwomensaiditwasessentialtoaccessseparatesocialspacesawayfrommen.

Attributesthatwereconsideredtomakeaparkagoodplacetovisitwerephysicalfeatures(water,plants,wildlife),innovation(newthings,events),food(restaurants,cafeswithgoodviews),avarietyoffacilities(bowls,cricket,play)andpeople(opportunitiestomeetnewpeople,socialising,dating).

Participants’wishlistforgreenspaceincluded:

events(festivals,fireworks) wildlife,water,longgrass colourandflowers sport(cricket,football,hockey)

supportedbytraining urbanfarming(fruitfarms/allotments) seating/socialising/familyareas:‘everyonetogether’ facilities:toiletsandcafés,cleanandsafeplay cleanlinessandsafety,wardens consultationandurbangreenspace

strategiesthatembracediversity dog-freeareas female-onlyareas(citedbyBangladeshi

andPakistaniparticipants).‘ One thing that got us together was football. We grew up playing together, it brought us together. No type of racial tension here, it was simply because of that football pitch. Several years ago it got built on for flats. It’s a real shame. Now there’s lots of tension between whites and Asians’Young Bengali male, focus group participant, London

58

Barriers to use of local green space

Thebarrierstotheuseoflocalgreenspacesreflectthosethatwerealsoidentifiedintheliteraturereviewinchapter2.Barriersdiscussedincluded:

Fearandfeelingsofinsecurityresultingfromanti-socialbehaviour,drug-dealinganddrug-takingandfearofpersonalattackorracism

Presenceofdogs–eitherfoulingorfearofattack(thiswascitedparticularlyamongblackandminorityethnicwomen)

Poordesignsuchashighperimeterwallspreventingviewsinandout,heavyvegetationandlackoflightingpromotingfeelingsofinsecurity

Inadequatemaintenanceandmanagementleading

tovandalism,litter,graffitianddrugparaphernalia

Failuretoacknowledgeandprovideforthediverseneedsofamixedcommunity,forinstancenowhereprovidedinalocalgreenspaceforMuslimwomentomeetawayfrommen

Lackoffacilities,particularlylackoffacilitiesforyoungchildrenandteenagers,andtheremovalofwell-usedandvaluedfacilitiessuchasfootballandcricketpitches.Allgroupscitednowheretositasabarriertouse.

Summary

Overall,definitionsofgreenspacebyfocusgroupparticipantsvariedbyagebutnotbyethnicity.Allpeopletalkedofgreenspacesinurbanareasasrestorativeplacestoretreatandrelax,offeringbreathingspacefromthestressesofeverydaylife.

Safeplayandactivitiesforyoungpeopleweremostfrequentlyexpressedaskeytotheprovisionofgood-qualitygreenspaceinurbanareas.Thediverseneedsofblackandminorityethnicgroupswerealsoakeytheme,particularlytheneedfordifferentsportoptionsforyoungerpeople(forinstancecricketaswellasprovisionforskateboarding)andtheprovisionofseparategenderzoneswithinspaces.

Thebiggestsinglebarriertoaccessingurbangreenspacewassafety.Thiswasexpressedbothintermsofthephysicalenvironment(denseovergrownvegetation,lackoflighting)andthethreatofothers(gangs,drinkinganddruguse).

Thefocusgroupfindingsreflectmanyofthosehighlightedbytheliteratureandprojectreview.Theliteraturereviewhighlightedthesocialvalueofpublicopenspacefordifferentblackandminorityethnicpeople.Thiswasconfirmedinthefocusgroupdiscussion.However,whiteBritishparticipantsequallyhighlightedthesocialvalueoflocalspaces;thereforethiswassomethingthoughttobeimportantbyall.

Participantsconfirmedthaturbangreenspacescouldfacilitatecommunitycohesionamongadiversecommunity.Inthisinstance,footballandsportsfacilitieswerementioned,butineachofthesegeographiclocations(WestMidlandsAandLondonB)thesefacilitieshadbeenremoved.

Therestorativevalueofurbangreenspace(forexample,toreducestress)wasconfirmedacrossallgroupsandages.Inaddition,theneedforfunintheformofeventsandentertainmentwasexpressedbyeveryone.Therewasnoevidenceofparticular

‘ There is no diversity of activities available in the outdoor places for the Muslim community. Our youth have different taste of activities than possibly other youngsters in the area’ Pakistani female participant, West Midlands A

‘ We are living in a war – the war of postcodes’ African-Caribbean female participant, London A

‘ The empty space where we live… it’s big, no one does anything to it, they just laid grass on it, nothing is there.’ Bengali male participant, Greater Manchester A

‘ We don’t mix with boys, we need somewhere to go to be away from our parents, somewhere just for girls.’ Young Pakistani female participant, Greater Manchester A

59

differencesinaestheticperceptionsofgreenspaceamongdifferentethnicities;visualattributesofgreenopenspace(wildlife,colour,interest)wereunanimouslypopularamongparticipants.

Therewere,therefore,fewerdifferencesinperceptionsofurbangreenspaceamongthedifferentwhite,blackandminorityethnicgroupsthanhadbeenexpectedonthebasisoftheliteraturereview.

Themajordifferencesappearedtobeinrelationtouse:theneedforyoungMuslimwomentosocialiseawayfrommen,andthehighsportsusageamongtheyoungblackandminorityethnicmales.

Theresultsofthefocusgroupdiscussionsfeddirectlyintothedesignofthehouseholdsurvey,whichisoutlinedinchapter3.

60

Appendix 5: Auditing environmental quality in the case study areas

Formal environmental audits were undertaken in all of the case studies to assess the quality of the green spaces within these areas. Thirteen spaces, mainly parks, were audited and the information gathered aided the interpretation of the responses to the household survey (chapter 3). The audits also provided an opportunity to check how people perceived ‘quality’ while actually in a green space compared to judgements made ‘at a distance’ in the survey and focus groups.

Amodifiedgreenspaceaudittoolwasusedtoauditqualityinthecasestudyareas.146Thisisbothaqualitativeandaquantitativetoolusedtoevaluatethequalityandexperienceofanygreenspaceintermsofitsuser-friendliness,characterandopportunitiesforuse,setinitsneighbourhoodcontext.Thetoolwasdesignedtobeusedbyqualifiedenvironmentaldesignersand,withguidance,bylocalpeople.

EachauditwasconductedbytwotrainedOPENspacestaffmembers(thesamestaffwerenotusedateverysite)andmembersofthespecificlocalcommunity(anaverageoffivepersite).

TheOPENspaceauditorswerefromdiverseculturalbackgrounds(twoWhiteBritish,oneIndian,twoWhiteEuropeanandoneSouthAmerican).The30localcommunityauditorswere52percentmale,48percentfemale;aged16-65+(with20percentover65);andmainlyPakistani(35percent),whiteBritish(35percent)orIndian(14percent).OtherparticipantswereAfrican-Caribbean,African,Kashmiri,BangladeshiandBritishAsian.

Auditswerecompletedon-siteafterafacilitatedwalkinthegreenspace.Participantsscoredthespaceusingsevencriteriaonafive-pointscale.Thecriteriawere:neighbourhoodquality,greenspacequality,access,facilities,use,maintenanceandsecurity.Thescoringwasbasedontheirexperience‘ontheday’ratherthanpastexperiences.Therewerealsoopportunitiesundereachcriteriontoaddcomments.

Results of audits

Inmostlocationsthesitesselectedfortheauditswerethespacesmostfrequentlymentionedbysurveyrespondents.Overall,therewasvariablequalityingreenspaceswithintheareas.Interestingly,qualitywasmostvariableintheauditofWestMidlandsA,yetthisarearatedveryhighlyonsatisfactionscoreswithinthehouseholdsurvey.

QualityofgreenspaceinthehouseholdsurveywasmostvariableinGreaterManchesterB(highestofallinthe‘verydissatisfied’categoryforqualityofgreenspace).Thisiscontrarytoauditfindings,wherebothparksinthisboroughwereratedveryhighlyforquality.Thiscouldsuggestthataccesstotheseparksisnotequitableamongallresidentsorthatthereisvariabilityinparkqualitywithinthislocalauthority.

People’sperceptionsofgreenspaceon-siteweremuchmorepositivethaninfocusgroupsandmoreconsistentwiththeensuingsurveydatagatheredfromindividuals.

Itispossiblethatbeinginagreenspaceonasunnydaywithinasocialcontextinfluencedtheresultsorthatfocusgroupopinioncanbeswayedbythegroupdynamic.Thisshowstheimportanceofcarryingouton-siteassessmentswiththecommunity,andthatvaluejudgementsvaryaccordingtocontext.Thereareclearlydifferencesinperceptionsofgreenspacequalitydependingontheprocessbywhichthisdataisgathered.

Scoringofqualitywasconsistentbetweenstaffandcommunityauditors,withtheexceptionofLondonBcommunityparks,wheredifferenceswerefoundontwocriteria:useandmaintenance.Overall,theauditsdemonstratedthevalueof‘inthefield’impressionsandsubstantiallyaddedtounderstandingofperceptionsofqualityandvalueofurbangreenspaceinthecasestudylocations.

146 ProventobereliableandrobustwhenusedbyOPENspaceinotherareas.

61

This study examines the impact of the quality of local green spaces on the health and wellbeing of people living in six deprived areas. It makes the connections between green space, ethnicity and inequality. It is the second of two pieces of research by CABE on why green space matters for health and wellbeing. This report will be of interest to policymakers, those working in local government, social housing or the voluntary and community sector.

CABE1 Kemble StreetLondon WC2B 4ANT 020 7070 6700F 020 7070 6777E enquiries@cabe.org.ukwww.cabe.org.uk

CABEissupportedbydepartmentforculture,mediaandsport

CABEisthegovernment’sadvisoronarchitecture,urbandesignandpublicspace.Asapublicbody,weencouragepolicymakerstocreateplacesthatworkforpeople.Wehelplocalplannersapplynationaldesignpolicyandadvisedevelopersandarchitects,persuadingthemtoputpeople’sneedsfirst.Weshowpublicsectorclientshowtocommissionbuildingsthatmeettheneedsoftheirusers.Andweseektoinspirethepublictodemandmorefromtheirbuildingsandspaces.Advising,influencingandinspiring,weworktocreatewell-designed,welcomingplaces.

CABESpaceisaspecialistunitwithinCABEthataimstobringexcellencetothedesign,managementandmaintenanceofparksandpublicspaceinourtownsandcities.

Publishedin2010bytheCommissionforArchitectureandtheBuiltEnvironment

GraphicdesignbyDraughtAssociates

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,copiedortransmittedwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentofthepublisherexceptthatthematerialmaybephotocopiedfornon-commercialpurposeswithoutpermissionfromthepublisher.

Thisdocumentisavailableinalternativeformatsonrequestfromthepublisher.