The report looks at attitudes to walking in Britain, asking 1,000 people from England, Scotland and Wales to tell us how often they use their parks and green spaces and what would encourage them to walk in these areas more frequently. The research reveals that each age group holds a different opinion about the value of walking, and that if we want to encourage people to enjoy greenspaces we need to cater for each of their needs.

It demonstrates that people instinctively understand that spending time in parks and greenspaces is good for them, with 98% of respondents saying that walking through greenspaces helps to improve their mental health, and a
similar percentage saying that walking through parks improves their physical health. It also suggests that different groups of people are put off walking through parks for different reasons, and that if we want to encourage everyone to use parks we need to focus investment carefully. How this can be done in practice is further explored in the case studies set out in this report.

Walking in Urban Parks and Green Spaces has been written and researched by the TCPA and funded by the Ramblers as part of the organisation’s work to help encourage and protect the ability of people to enjoy the benefits that come from being outdoors on foot.