Communities grow in greenspace

Contributing to the Scottish Government Outcome:

Greenspace projects offer opportunities for communities to become more involved in local decision making and management – an important element of community empowerment.

Research shows you are more likely to know your neighbour and have a stronger sense of community if you live in an area with greenspace:

• a study from the USA found that 83% more people engaged in social activity in greenspace than in the more ‘barren’ urban spaces in the same neighbourhood
• the presence of trees in neighbourhoods increases social cohesion in social housing developments
• greenspaces create opportunities for women with children to establish wider relationships with others and build their confidence in using public spaces
• neighbourhood greenspaces support older people in socialising and making unplanned social connections

Many community and Friends groups are actively involved in the management of local greenspaces and parks. With the new provisions of the Community Empowerment Act 2016, requests for community asset transfer and community management agreements are expected to increase.

The 2017 Greenspace Use and Attitude Survey found significant increases in people wanting to have more of a say in how their greenspace is managed and to get involved in activities to improve their local greenspace.

Working with Tesco and Groundwork UK through the Bags of Help programme we have supported over 2000 community projects.

Contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals: