In polarising times, where polite debate has retreated to the side lines and extreme points of view appear to be the norm (at least where twitter is concerned), one of the few topics I feel which we can all agree on is this importance of green space. As a London resident living in a 1 bedroom flat with no private garden, I cannot stress enough the importance green space to my own health and wellbeing.
For 83% of the UK population who live in towns and cities, publicly accessible green space arguably holds even greater value when compared to our rural neighbours who have on average larger homes and better access to private outdoor space[1].
So why are green spaces so important? Well, it’s essential to note there are a heap of benefits outside the health and wellbeing considerations associated with green space albeit all these benefits are inter-related. In short form these include:
- Climate Change benefits – with green spaces allowing for a cooling effect into the surrounding urban areas (with green spaces on average 1 degree cooler than built up areas[2]) and the ability for trees and plants to absorb Carbon Dioxide in its soils;
- Air Quality benefits – with plants and trees absorbing toxic particles and gases from the air reducing the amount of harmful gases in the air which damages our respiratory system;
- Flood management– allowing vegetative surfaces to intercept and store water;
- Wildlife benefits – supporting habitats for a wide range of species; and
- Economic uplift – providing local job opportunities, and encouraging investment into and area as a result of accessible greens space.
However, what I want to discuss today are the health and wellbeing benefits of green space which, at the time of writing during the third UK national lockdown, feels more necessary than ever before.
So what does the science say about the influence green space has on our wellbeing?
Studies have shown there are direct correlations between spending time in green space and the positive impacts on lowering stress levels; as evidenced in a fantastic paper named Landscape and Urban Planning[3] which measures the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol as an objective indicator of stress.
Other measurable impacts from spending time in green space can be seen in a separate study which sought to measure psychophysiological stress recovery by taking repeated measures of ambulatory blood pressure, emotion, and the attention span of a number of young adults[4]. It concluded that:
- Sitting in a room with tree views promoted ‘a rapid decline in diastolic blood pressure’ compared with sitting in a ‘viewless room’;
- Taking time out to walk in green space ‘fostered blood pressure change that indicated greater stress reduction than afforded by walking in the urban surroundings’; and
- Taking time out to walk in green space had a ‘positive impact of improved attention performance’ (something I’m sure all employers would be interested to hear!).
Studies also show that access to green space encourages physical activity, with people living in the greenest areas of England more likely to achieve the recommended amounts of physical activity than those that do not[5]. And that feels right, because I know from my own experience that the environment around me plays a huge influence on my behaviour.
From a social aspect green space also affords the ability to socialise, relax and create bonds with our friends and neighbours increasing stronger community relations[6]. This is instrumental in combating issues such as loneliness, something all generations suffer from but is particularly prevalent with the elderly.
To me all of this comes as no surprise. I’m sure we have all felt the reinvigorating rush of positive energy that comes from engaging in green space, be it a lunchtime walk or a morning run. I know that my local park has been a great place to catch up with a friends over the last year, one of the few bits of normality we have access to at this current time. However I feel that I can get such a positive engagement is because of the availability of parks in my local area.
But is access to green space really that good in our towns and cities?
A report carried out by Friends of the Earth, who analysed data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) sought to measure and rate access to green space on a scale of A (the best) to E (deprived). It measured both the quantity of green space including gardens, public green space and open access land, and measured the distance via postcodes to access this land, using Natural England guidance that everybody should be within 5 minutes’ walk of 2 hectares of green space.
It found that roughly 1 in 5 of UK residents are deprived of green space[7]. This equates to nearly 10 million people, and includes only those people within an E rating as being the most deprived.
Further findings published by Friends of the Earth also show that:
- Black and brown people are twice as likely to live in a neighbourhood with minimal access to green space;
- Almost 40% of people from BAME backgrounds live in the most green-space deprived areas, compared to just 14% of white people;
- The average amount of public green space for people in the most deprived green space neighbourhoods is less than 9 meter square, or the average size of a garden shed; and
- Children from the most deprived areas are 20% less likely to spend time outside than those in affluent areas.
The lack of access to green space is even more shocking when held in context of a statistic published by Public Health England which states that ‘physical inactivity is responsible for one in six UK deaths’, which is equal to the number of people who die of smoking each year[8]. This again shows that BAME people and those from the most deprived areas of our country are the ones which suffer most from a lack of access to green space. Not so surprising really, and again lifts the lid on yet another ugly truth in our unequal society.
What makes these figures even more frustrating is that we know that where green space is made available, the socioeconomic position of the local population does not affect how frequently it is used[9]. In fact where accessible green space is provided, studies show this can help reduce socioeconomic health inequalities[10]. Furthermore Public Health England recognise the economic cost of physical inactivity estimated at £7.4 billion annually and costing the NHS £0.9bn alone annually.
So what can we do to change this?
A review published in 2020 by Public Health England, named ‘Improving access to greenspace’, has sought to highlight policy and mechanisms which Local Authorities are able to implement.
It considers:
- Planning Policy and the prioritisation of green space as strategic policy and spatial planning in Local Plans;
- Supporting meaningful local engagement to understand the benefits of green space (including valuing green space, now there’s a debate!); and
- Supporting local research to highlight the impact of accessible green space with comparable case studies.
Personally I think this misses the bigger picture. Yes, these are all purposeful and meaningful steps however as with all strategic change you need to tackle it from top to bottom. So with that in mind, what are the UK Government doing to address this problem?
Let’s first look at the cash problem. The current total parks budgets across the UK is estimated by the Parks Charter to be around £1bn due to years of funding cuts to local public services[11]. But to just maintain the existing parks to appropriate levels it is estimated UK parks need a total budget of around £2bn – £3bn a year, so almost three times what is currently being spent to maintain them.
This stance doesn’t look like its changing much, even with the Government’s war of words using the sound bites such as the ‘green industrial revolution’ and the ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050. When push came to shove in the 2020 Spending Review last autumn, there was no proper action to the lip service being paid towards climate change and the environment as a whole, let alone public access to green space.
They did confirm that:
‘£7m is being provided to improve public access to green space by taking forward the Coast to Coast National Trail and England Coastal Path’ and ‘more than £75 million in funding for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’[12].
But none of this concerns urban green space. I absolutely want to see investment in these nationally important spaces, but why do our towns and cities fail to attract the funds? Where is the investment into existing parks and the creation of new green infrastructure?
So in terms of what can be done, for starters let’s invest properly in providing access to green space.
A recent report commissioned by the National Trust says that that ‘the government should invest £5.5 billion of capital funding over 5 years to boost public access to green spaces, especially in areas lacking proper provision, together with £275 million in annual maintenance.’ To do this I would make public green space (such as parks) a properly funded statutory service, giving Local Authorities the support they require. In turn this relatively small investment (in the scale of the wider Spending Review) would deliver £200 billion in physical health and wellbeing benefits to the most deprived areas and, in tandem, promote active travel, bio diversity, carbon capture, and air quality enhancements.
I also believe we need to ensure public green spaces are protected, but where my views may differ from the various green groups is that we review this not solely at a Local Level but also at a Regional Level to ensure that a sustainable supply of housing is delivered alongside a protection of green space for current and future residents (including a thorough review of the Green Belt policy – god forbid!). To aid this, another idea I really love (promoted by Friends of the Earth) is that where green space is lacking, there needs to be a provision to provide newly accessible green infrastructure which could include creating street parks and opening up private common green space in new developments (which could in turn reduce the private service charges paid by residents).
If this has interested you, I’d encourage you to investigate the green initiatives in your local area. To influence any change, it’s my belief that civic action is the accelerator to change. There may be existing local projects in place to get involved with. An example of this in my local authority which was been awarded a £667k grant as part of the Future Parks Accelerator (FPA), with access to national health experts to aid the re-imagining our parks and green spaces. And if they aren’t doing enough, let them and your local MP know about it!
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-population-and-migration/rural-population-201415
[2] https://www.climatejust.org.uk/messages/neighbourhoods-without-much-greenspace
[3] Ward Thompson, C. et al. Landscape and Urban Planning, 105, 221-229, (2012).
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494402001093
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3444752/
[6] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0193841×04264945
[7] https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/print/pdf/node/190
[8] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health
[9] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1618866704700199
[10] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749379715000410
[11] https://parkscharter.org.uk/
[12] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents/spending-review-2020
Shapes + Place 