Parks for people
It’s no secret that parks need people. So what initiatives are going on around the country to ensure that local people really feel that their park belongs to them? Becky Volker takes a look.
If you asked a selection of residents which cultural resources they felt were most important to the identity of a town or city, most would cite museums, art galleries, libraries, town squares and parks. A well-managed, well-maintained park can be a tremendous asset, bringing money to the city by encouraging businesses to move in and pushing up house prices, encouraging biodiversity and wildlife, and most importantly, providing a space for all members of the community to come together and engage in healthy leisure pursuits.
Contrastingly, a poorly maintained, under-used park can be a liability, becoming a magnet for antisocial behaviour and developing a reputation as an unsafe place until it is effectively considered to be a no-go zone by local residents.
So why is it that some parks are healthy, vibrant places, while others are sadly neglected and bereft of healthy community activity? The answer that many people would offer is lack of funding, and this is certainly an important factor. But equally important is the vision of those responsible for the park, and their commitment to involving park users in the creation and maintenance of their spaces. Once communities are involved in the decision-making, the opportunities for positive results are enormous because people have a greater feeling of control over what happens to the park, which, in turn, fosters a sense of ownership and pride.
All over the country initiatives are taking place to involve local communities in their parks. In Mile End Park, East London, four community forums, focusing on ecology, art, play and security, have been developed to involve the local community who live around the park in decision-making. The forums each consist of 8-12 local experts or enthusiasts, plus a member of the Friends of Mile End Park and the park’s director, Michael Rowan. The forums meet every 5-6 weeks and three of the four have written a policy for their particular area of responsibility, which was then incorporated into the park’s management plan.
The management plan was then presented to a meeting of park users, whose feedback will be incorporated into the next plan, ensuring that the views of all stakeholders are represented.
Michael Rowan feels that this policy of involving park users in every step of the planning process is vital for creating a park that is a truly vibrant hub of the local community. “If people feel that their views are listened to, and that they have been involved in the decision-making process, they have a real sense of ownership of the park. This will result in higher park usage, a reduction in vandalism and antisocial behaviour and a general sense of pride in the park”.
The Borough of Telford and Wrekin (BTW) have similarly placed emphasis on involving the community in all stages of the planning and design process, and have targeted a notoriously difficult-to-reach group, children and young people. A range of initiatives have taken place recently which have either been led by or actively involve young people in the management of projects to create facilities and make environmental improvements to the local area.
In 2003, the Donnington Youth Crew were supported by BTW to form a constituted club with their own bank account, which enabled them to raise £42,000 from Asda, McDonalds, Community Safety Partnership, BTW, Severn Trent Water, Transco and fundraising initiatives for the creation of a new multi use games area and youth shelter. The group designed the new facilities themselves, and put together and submitted the planning application. They also undertook door-to-door consultation with local residents to ensure that the whole community had the opportunity to input their views.
Keen BMX bikers got together in 2003 to form Wrekin Riders, who went on to design the largest BMX track in the West Midlands as well as a small skate park, multi use games area and youth shelter. £120,000 was secured from a S106 agreement and supported by Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council and BTW to complete the facilities, and at one stage over 80 young people were active members of the project.
The young people part-co-ordinated the official opening event which attracted hundreds of young people from Shropshire and across the country. The group are currently looking to put on Shropshire’s ‘Urban Games’, an event which is aimed at the county’s young people who want to take part in alternative activities such as BMX freestyling and skateboarding competitions.
Derek Owen, BTW’s Outdoor Recreation Officer, claims that the policy of involving young people in the planning, design and maintenance of facilities has had a profound effect on community relations. “The common themes that run through all the projects are the quality of product that young people wish to see, the way that the views of others, including those against the proposal, are incorporated into the designs where possible, and the pride that the young people have, not only in their facility but in the general community where they live. This has altered the totally negative image of young people in the area and has increased community harmony”.
Elsewhere, art is being used as a means to encourage local people to view parks in a different way. Burgess Park, which was planned fifty years ago as a ‘green lung’ for South London, hosts Art in the Park, a project which aims to bring back to the park many different communities and to encourage them to participate in its development by kindling their interest in the natural environment. Two artists-in-residence work from Art in the Park’s studios, which are located in renovated factory sheds within the park itself.
Among many different initiatives, including education projects with local schools and work with community and school groups to make public art to be sited in parks and school grounds, Art in the Park runs a dedicated community project to encourage local children to use the park as a resource for expressing themselves through art.
Sure Start in the Park is a partnership project which offers play and learning activities two days a week throughout the year. The emphasis is on discovery learning from the environment, and activities begin and end at the studio with books, songs, dance and art work to make and take home.
The experience of all these projects, and many like them, is that it is absolutely vital for local authorities to encourage communities to develop a sense of ownership in their parks and green spaces. This sense of ownership will create strong parks which can serve as beacons of community activity and pride for many generations to come.
If you asked a selection of residents which cultural resources they felt were most important to the identity of a town or city, most would cite museums, art galleries, libraries, town squares and parks. A well-managed, well-maintained park can be a tremendous asset, bringing money to the city by encouraging businesses to move in and pushing up house prices, encouraging biodiversity and wildlife, and most importantly, providing a space for all members of the community to come together and engage in healthy leisure pursuits.
Contrastingly, a poorly maintained, under-used park can be a liability, becoming a magnet for antisocial behaviour and developing a reputation as an unsafe place until it is effectively considered to be a no-go zone by local residents.
So why is it that some parks are healthy, vibrant places, while others are sadly neglected and bereft of healthy community activity? The answer that many people would offer is lack of funding, and this is certainly an important factor. But equally important is the vision of those responsible for the park, and their commitment to involving park users in the creation and maintenance of their spaces. Once communities are involved in the decision-making, the opportunities for positive results are enormous because people have a greater feeling of control over what happens to the park, which, in turn, fosters a sense of ownership and pride.
All over the country initiatives are taking place to involve local communities in their parks. In Mile End Park, East London, four community forums, focusing on ecology, art, play and security, have been developed to involve the local community who live around the park in decision-making. The forums each consist of 8-12 local experts or enthusiasts, plus a member of the Friends of Mile End Park and the park’s director, Michael Rowan. The forums meet every 5-6 weeks and three of the four have written a policy for their particular area of responsibility, which was then incorporated into the park’s management plan.
The management plan was then presented to a meeting of park users, whose feedback will be incorporated into the next plan, ensuring that the views of all stakeholders are represented.
Michael Rowan feels that this policy of involving park users in every step of the planning process is vital for creating a park that is a truly vibrant hub of the local community. “If people feel that their views are listened to, and that they have been involved in the decision-making process, they have a real sense of ownership of the park. This will result in higher park usage, a reduction in vandalism and antisocial behaviour and a general sense of pride in the park”.
The Borough of Telford and Wrekin (BTW) have similarly placed emphasis on involving the community in all stages of the planning and design process, and have targeted a notoriously difficult-to-reach group, children and young people. A range of initiatives have taken place recently which have either been led by or actively involve young people in the management of projects to create facilities and make environmental improvements to the local area.
In 2003, the Donnington Youth Crew were supported by BTW to form a constituted club with their own bank account, which enabled them to raise £42,000 from Asda, McDonalds, Community Safety Partnership, BTW, Severn Trent Water, Transco and fundraising initiatives for the creation of a new multi use games area and youth shelter. The group designed the new facilities themselves, and put together and submitted the planning application. They also undertook door-to-door consultation with local residents to ensure that the whole community had the opportunity to input their views.
Keen BMX bikers got together in 2003 to form Wrekin Riders, who went on to design the largest BMX track in the West Midlands as well as a small skate park, multi use games area and youth shelter. £120,000 was secured from a S106 agreement and supported by Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council and BTW to complete the facilities, and at one stage over 80 young people were active members of the project.
The young people part-co-ordinated the official opening event which attracted hundreds of young people from Shropshire and across the country. The group are currently looking to put on Shropshire’s ‘Urban Games’, an event which is aimed at the county’s young people who want to take part in alternative activities such as BMX freestyling and skateboarding competitions.
Derek Owen, BTW’s Outdoor Recreation Officer, claims that the policy of involving young people in the planning, design and maintenance of facilities has had a profound effect on community relations. “The common themes that run through all the projects are the quality of product that young people wish to see, the way that the views of others, including those against the proposal, are incorporated into the designs where possible, and the pride that the young people have, not only in their facility but in the general community where they live. This has altered the totally negative image of young people in the area and has increased community harmony”.
Elsewhere, art is being used as a means to encourage local people to view parks in a different way. Burgess Park, which was planned fifty years ago as a ‘green lung’ for South London, hosts Art in the Park, a project which aims to bring back to the park many different communities and to encourage them to participate in its development by kindling their interest in the natural environment. Two artists-in-residence work from Art in the Park’s studios, which are located in renovated factory sheds within the park itself.
Among many different initiatives, including education projects with local schools and work with community and school groups to make public art to be sited in parks and school grounds, Art in the Park runs a dedicated community project to encourage local children to use the park as a resource for expressing themselves through art.
Sure Start in the Park is a partnership project which offers play and learning activities two days a week throughout the year. The emphasis is on discovery learning from the environment, and activities begin and end at the studio with books, songs, dance and art work to make and take home.
The experience of all these projects, and many like them, is that it is absolutely vital for local authorities to encourage communities to develop a sense of ownership in their parks and green spaces. This sense of ownership will create strong parks which can serve as beacons of community activity and pride for many generations to come.