Communities

Parks and greenspaces are community assets, at the heart of healthy, happy, strong and thriving communities.

greenspace scotland supports local communities in many ways through grant funding, information, advice and training. One of the principal ways we work with communities is through community placemaking projects. Placemaking also underpins our approach to work on climate change parks, urban greening and local food growing projects and strategies.

Community Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to revitalising, planning, designing and managing places. It is based on the premise that successful places are characterised by lively, secure and distinctive public spaces that function for the people who use them. It involves working with the people who live in and/or use a place, to discover their needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create an agreed place vision and action plan which focuses on people and function rather than design-led solutions.

Greenspaces are the ‘glue’ that connects our communities. They link houses, workplaces, services and other public spaces to create joined-up places. With the proper investment in design and management, they bring people together and build a confident, vibrant sense of community.

Got a question about getting more involved with community greenspace?
From finding out who owns it, to organising events and volunteering activities, fundraising for improvements and responding to planning applications, through to community leasing and ownership options. Take a look at Your Community Greenspace for answers and information to some of the most frequently asked questions.