Thousands of people living in Leeds and Bradford are to be surveyed about the way they use parks and green spaces to try to improve access for all.
The Green AWARE project survey, which launches today, is being led by researchers at the University of Leeds who want to understand why and how communities use the spaces, and if there are any reasons that groups that might feel excluded from them.
The team will work with Leeds City Council and Bradford Council as well as community groups to use their findings to come up with practical ways to make parks and green spaces more accessible, both physically and socially.
If we understand the barriers to park usage, we can take steps to widen inclusion to meet the needs of our fantastic, diverse, local communities.
More than 8,000 people will be asked to fill in questionnaires in the most comprehensive study of park usage ever to take place across the two cities.
The survey will look at the possible barriers to park use facing a range of groups, including women and girls, people from minority ethnic groups, older people and disabled people, and will build on existing University research which concluded that most women and girls feel unsafe in parks in some situations.
Dr Vikki Houlden, an Associate Professor in Urban Data Science at the University of Leeds School of Geography, is leading the project which has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
“The survey will provide us with a vital, up-to-date picture of park usage and accessibility across Leeds and Bradford Council districts,” she explained.
“If we understand the barriers to park usage, we can then take steps to widen inclusion to meet the needs of our fantastic, diverse, local communities, and that can help to improve the whole population’s mental health and wellbeing.”
Research has already shown that there are inequalities in people’s ability access to green spaces, with factors such as distance, affordability, ease of travel, safety and the availability of facilities limiting who can use and benefit from them.
Many barriers are practical, including uneven surfaces, a lack of toilets, broken equipment and limited seating, which particularly impact people with disabilities, the elderly, and families with young children.
Access to green spaces
Communities where there are more elderly people and people experiencing deprivation often have fewer green spaces nearby, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are more than twice as likely to experience a limited quantity and variety of green space.
In addition to this, research carried out by the Fields in Trust charity last year revealed that Yorkshire cities have the lowest public green space provision in England outside of London, with the county having 26 square metres of greenspace per person, compared with a national average of 30 per person.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said:
“One of Leeds City Council’s key priorities is health and wellbeing, with a focus on ensuring that every community has access to local green spaces, so I am delighted that this nationally important research project into access to public parks is going to be undertaken in the city and I encourage all local residents, whether regular park users or not, to get involved.
“I look forward to hearing the results of the research and finding out how we can make our parks even more welcoming.”
Take part
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “We have some lovely and award-winning parks and green spaces across our district that our residents and visitors use and enjoy, and we know the many benefits of being around nature and engaging in local spaces.
“We are pleased to be involved in this exciting research project along with our colleagues at Leeds Council and the University of Leeds. We would encourage as many people as possible to take part in this survey so that the experiences and needs of our residents can be fully understood.”
The survey goes live today and will include a targeted mail shot of 8,000 households containing an invitation to complete the survey as well as flyers and posters in key locations including parks and community venues.
Dr Houlden added: “We'd love to hear from as many people as possible, whether you use your local green spaces or not. Everyone has different experiences and points of view. The more people fill in the survey, the better we can make the improvements that will really matter and make a difference to you.”
The researchers hope their findings will provide vital evidence to add to the ongoing debate about equal access to green spaces and allow them to make recommendations both regionally and nationally about how our public green spaces can be improved.
Further information
Photo credit: Mark Bickerdike
For media enquiries, please contact Kersti Mitchell in the University of Leeds press office via k.mitchell@leeds.co.uk