With 8 local authorities we're helping think about involving citizens in the shaping up public parks. https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/our-work/landscapes-parks-nature/future-parks

1. Prototyping Local
Greenspace Action
Crowdsourcing actions to
support councils in looking
after their local greenspace
A 3 month window focusing
on amplifying & maintaining
+ve lockdown behaviours
Positive comms + fundraising

2. Proposal
• Crowdsource what local residents and groups could do in the next 3
months to support their council to improve and maintain
greenspaces?
• A demand-led programme, so it would be focussing on different
audiences helping them fund, act and connect with these spaces
• Weekly webexes focusing on mirroring urban transport proposals to
radically redesign public space and how it is used

3. Only 9% want to return to life as normal*
• More people than ever are using public parks, more often
• More people are appreciating nature in urban
environments
• More than a million people registered to volunteer for
the NHS & lots for council covid hubs
• 2.5 million members of 4,208 Covid-19 Mutual Aid groups
set up in 3 weeks mostly through facebook pages
• “What people really wanted to do was use their time to
help their neighbours, rather than for self-improvement”
“People who have never before been involved in their
communities are becoming active.” NLGN
(*RSA YouGov poll of 4,343 people)

4. Changes in
Public Attitude
• 63% of us think protecting and enhancing
green spaces should be a higher priority
after the lockdown.
• 57% felt they were more aware of the
importance of such green spaces to
mental health and wellbeing.
• 35% said they were visiting local green
space more often since lockdown
• 40% feel more connected to their
community during lockdown
• 33% of 18 to 34-year-olds report having
made new intergenerational connections.
• 54% agree that people are doing more to
help their communities
(CPRE & WI poll of 2,000 people)

5. -ve Context
• Council budgets are worse than ever (ditto VCSE)
• 20% of population are facing lockdown alone,
• More people are more anxious + the economy is uncertain
• Many existing volunteers won’t return (esp those 70+ or those who
feel overcommitted)
• There are issues around policing people’s behaviour in social
distancing (esp young people and groups)
• Risk of infection still high + Gov announcements = little time to plan
• Expectations are high

6. Potential delegation themes
Existing friends of
groups
LA led volunteering Individual citizen
action
Mutual aid groups New friends of
groups
Welcome in new
members,
Have a social media
presence
Have a city wide
map of the spaces
which have a
friends-of group
Group volunteering
sessions maintaining
social distance
New 3 month roles
Existing volunteer
designing much of
the new processes
Rangers post tasks
which need doing
and leave tools
around
Links to YouTube
videos so people
know what they’re
doing and WhatsApp
chats with rangers in
case of issues
Permission to use
existing spaces
Access and
improvements via
street What's App,
Facebook
Adoption of green
streets, allotments
New associations
and families run
online groups
Partnership with
Scouts, Parkrun or
others

7. Types of land people are currently using..
Non Permissive
Access Used During
Lockdown
Public Access Third
Party Ownership
LA Owned Misc.
Land
Neighbourhood
Parks
Destination Parks
Golf courses, business
green space etc
Aim: to increase the
amount of open space
in urban areas. To
capitalise on people’s
newfound love of
these spaces.
Footpaths across
farmers land.
university campuses
Aim: to improve access
and quality of 3rd party
greenspace for leisure
& nature activities
Pockets of scrubland,
woodland, cut
throughs, forgotten
space
Aim: completely refirb
and improve.
‘creating new
greenspaces or
greening small greyer
spaces’ into your ‘types
of land people are
already using’
Used and appreciated
more than usual
Aim: beautify. Nature.
Grounds maintenance.
litter picking and bin
emptying
Overused, crowded
and hard to social
distance. Play areas,
multi-use games areas,
tennis courts and skate
parks
Aim: increase areas of
use, spread the usage.
Help people enjoy
green space. Widen
footpaths. Think about
natural kids play.

8. What could it look like
• Hyperlocal action around greenspace, engaging new
audiences in an unprecedented way
• Short term bookable volunteering slots
• Self-driven action amplified
• Out of hours actions
• Hundreds of new friends of groups, differently
constituted
• Not just themed on parks, but every scrap of land
(think www.incredibleedible.org.uk)
• New traffic corridors greened by local people
• Crowdsourced maps, zoom conversations and hub
and spoke coordination
• All operating in the open through data hubs

9. What could it look like
• People centred engagement (just
not in person)
• Every square of land has an owner
and a ‘guardian’ role
• Notices on every bit of woodland
• Local coordination
• Devolved model from LA & others
• Potential for new footpaths, new
access as well as improving existing
• Funding for footpath widening as
well as maintaining Victorian parks

10. Influencing others
• Build the movement widely
• Mirror tests approaches to urban travel teams
• Ask how LA community development team will work
• Reward & reinforcement plan + comms plan to invite others to join
• Match funding: donations/ crowdfunding + volunteering effort. +
sponsorship from B&Q etc.
• Overall love parks campaign: #dailydoseofnature etc

11. Crowdsourcing opinion
External Public involvement research via zoom conversations:
Asking people what they will do now to support this. Pledges & action
now.

12. Thoughts..?
• Who wants to be involved? Who can commit a day a week?
• What themes do you want to rapidly protype?
• Do you have a mandate to delegate to communities?