decent spaces, greener placesthe impact of green spaces on well-

being

• relationship between lack of greenspace and stress levels, which rise as greenspace diminishes;

• greenspace enhances psychological health and mental well-being;

and therefore;

• all health, social care and criminal justice institutions should be required to ensure access to green space;

• designing for mental well-being should be recognised as good practice for [landscape design], architecture and planning ;

green space and well-beinggreen space and well-being

spaces that people avoid if possible…

but for many, they can’t

• 17% households, 8.2 million people in England

• 1 in 10 people in London

• over 1400 Registered Providers, and over 150 local authority housing landlords

• 1.8 million local authority dwellings, trend for transference to RPs

• radical reforms and austerity in train

the context…the context…

• green space has a proven track record in reducing the impact of deprivation, delivering better health and well-being, and creating a stronger community;

• simple presence of green space is related to a reduced risk of serious problems, like depression and lung disease;

• living close to a green space reduces mortality, which can help reduce the significant gap in life expectancy between rich and poor;

the premise…the premise…

inequalitiesinequalitiesPeople in deprived areas, wherever they live, receive a far worse provision of parks and green spaces than their affluent neighbours.

The most affluent 20% of wards have 5X more public green space (excluding gardens) per person than the most deprived 10% of wards.Wards that have almost no BME residents (<2% of ward population) have 6X as many parks as wards where more than 40% of the population are from BME groups. They have 11X more public green space – significant disparity?

resident focusedresident focused

quality homesquality homes

landscape?landscape?

but all too invisiblebut all too invisible

on the doorstepon the doorstep

• significant legacy of poorly-designed and under-managed spaces

• accumulative disinvestment over many decades

• high fragmentation (‘bitty’ compared to parks)

• significant contrasts in scale/layout

• ambiguous ownership for users

• increasing complexity of tenure

• isolation and ghetto-isation

• development pressure (blight)

psychogeographypsychogeography

fragmentationfragmentation

public? private?public? private?

leaseholder

leaseholder

general needs

general needs general needs

general needs

general needs

short-life

key worker

key worker

market rent

sheltered

market rent

sheltered

short-life

general needs

sheltered

tenure mixtenure mix

territoriesterritories

hidden cornershidden corners

• tensions between private and communal needs

• competition for use (e.g. car-parking)

• competition for resources

• complex resourcing models

• lack of qualitative standards

• spaces viewed as liabilities rather than assets

• low aspirations in terms of design and use

• and

• a lack of recognition of landscapes’ power and potential

psychogeographypsychogeography

room for manoeuvre?room for manoeuvre?

mugger shrubsmugger shrubs

it’s a right messit’s a right mess

landscape landscape improvementsimprovements

works well?works well?

perspicacityperspicacity

get what we pay for?get what we pay for?

the great unknown…the great unknown…• scale of social

housing landscapes at national and regional level unknown

• quantitative and qualitative surveys required to better identify social landlords’ role and responsibilities as greenspace providers

almost blank canvasalmost blank canvas

Peabody and Notting Hill Housing, 2003…

• raise awareness within social landlords of the importance of green spaces

• research practices, the level of skills and status

• provide training and guidance for key staff and trustees

• advocate for policy changes within housing and Government agencies

• secure resources for the future

Neighbourhoods GreenNeighbourhoods Green

http://www.londonwellbeingconference.co.uk/

• Commit to quality landscapes - at the highest level possible within the organisation

• Know the bigger picture – take a strategic approach to the planning and management of spaces

• Maintain high standards - ensure the long-term care of landscapes is treated as an essential service

• Make neighbourhoods greener – deliver higher quality standards of design

• Involve residents of all ages - to play an active role in deciding what their landscapes look like, how they’re used and looked after

10 principles10 principles

• Enhance skills and confidence - motivate staff and residents through open space training

• Improve character and design of places to change user behaviour and improve personal safety

• Encourage people to be more active to secure individual well-being and community ownership of spaces

• Prepare for climate change - provide increased protection for residents through green infrastructure

• Make the best use of resources - secure and co-ordinate different sources of funding by making most of partnerships

10 principles10 principles

• Photo simulation in a high rise setting: addition of trees and grass increased residents’ preferences (Kuo, Bacaicoa and Sullivan, 1998);

• Residents more likely to be satisfied with neighbourhood environments when containing large connected tree patches with a high degree of complexity in shape and variable sizes (Lee et al., 2008);

• Some preference for more formal settings with well maintained vegetation over woodland setting (Talbot and Kaplan, 1984);

• Increased neighbourhood satisfaction when looking out onto more natural, rather than built up environment (Kaplan, 1983; Talbot and Kaplan, 1991);

resident satisfactionresident satisfaction

• Some preference for more formal settings with well maintained vegetation over woodland setting (Talbot and Kaplan, 1984);

• Increased neighbourhood satisfaction when looking out onto more natural, rather than built up environment (Kaplan, 1983; Talbot and Kaplan, 1991);

resident satisfactionresident satisfaction

Residents with more green space within 1 kilometre of their home had:•better self perceived health with those than less green space•fewer health complaints in previous 14 day•lower self-related propensity for psychiatric morbidity (Maas et al., 2009);

Use of green space in 3 km radius of home decreased the relationship between a stressful life event in the past 3 months and a person’s number of health complaints and perceived mental and general health (den Berg et al., 2010).

healthhealth

• Three times as many residents observed in spaces with trees than those without trees (Coley, et al. 1997);

• Density of trees linked to the strength of social ties within the neighbourhood (Kuo, Sullivan et al., 1998);

social interactionsocial interaction

• view from a window to green space contributes to resident satisfaction;

• green space needs to be visibly managed;

• importance of green space proximity to home or ‘nearby nature’ – 5/10/15 minute walk;

• clear network of footpaths;

• poor quality of outdoor space leads to negative attitudes and behaviours . . .

research conclusionsresearch conclusions

art of the possible?art of the possible?

future resilience?future resilience?

austerity?austerity?

Neighbourhoods GreenNeighbourhoods Green• A Cool Pace to Live; the use of green

infrastructure to aid climate change adaptation;

• Green Flag Award being rolled out over 2013

• food-growing guidance;

• clients guide for social landlords wishing landscape management and landscape design services

• www.neighbourhoodsgreen.org.uk