Quality of public space, well-being and health in BME communities

Dr Edward Hobson

Head of research and futures

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The government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space

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In outline

An age old problem of resource distribution

Contemporary drivers require a joined up response

Understanding similarity and difference

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Patterns2

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Patterns3

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Patterns4

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Patterns

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‘We face a major economic crisis and we face a still bigger climate crisis and by thinking through clearly and carefully, and acting quickly, we can respond to both of them at the same time.

Lord Stern, January 2009

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Climate change: the biggest global health threat of the 21st century

“Managing the health effects of climate change”

Lancet/UCL Commission (16 May 2009)

Key areas of impact

– patterns of disease and mortality

– food security

– water and sanitation

– shelter and human settlements

– extreme events

– population migration

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What’s good for people’s health is good for the planet too

“We must develop win–win situations whereby we

mitigate and adapt to climate change and at the

same time significantly improve human health and

wellbeing. There are major health benefits from

low-carbon lifestyles, which can reduce obesity,

heart and lung disease, diabetes and stress.”

Professor Anthony Costello (UCL Institute for Global Health)

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High density residential

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25

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1970s 2020sLow

2020sHigh

2050sLow

2050sHigh

2080sLow

2080sHigh

Time period and scenario

Max

su

rfac

e te

mp

(°C

)

current form

-10% green

+10% green

High density residential

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20

25

30

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1970s 2020sLow

2020sHigh

2050sLow

2050sHigh

2080sLow

2080sHigh

Time period and scenario

Max

su

rfac

e te

mp

(°C

)

current form

-10% green

+10% green

Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in Urban Environments (ASCCUE), University of Manchester

Moderating extreme temperatures

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Heatwave impact on LondonThe Urban Heat Island Effect

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Persistent incidences of deprivation

Lindsay, 2008

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Health, well-being climate change

Different parts of the UK will be affected in different ways and the social impacts may well be more pronounced in more economically vulnerable areas.

Disproportionate effect on the vulnerable in society – the elderly, the poor, those with less choice to avoid poorer quality internal and external environments. Particularly severe direct impacts include

– Urban heat island effect – overheating

– Fuel and energy insecurity

– Surface water flooding

– Reduced air quality

A report by the Roundtable on Climate Change and Poverty in the UK emphasises the interconnectedness between climate change and poverty – and that it is possible to tackle both together.

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Links between quality of public space, health and well-being

Value for exercise unquestionable

74% of people believe parks and open spaces are important to people’s health and well being

MIND ‘Ecotherapy’ should be recognised as a clinically valid treatment for mental distress (2007)

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Proving the links between quality of public space, well-being and health

Overall, research presents a clear positive relationship between green space, well-being and health.

BUT: evidence base as a whole is highly variable

- Self-reported data limiting value

- Findings can’t support cause and effect, correlations only

- Limited use of objective measurements in physical exercise studies

- Findings not transferable outside specific study context

(Source: Greenspace Scotland commissioned critical literature reviews 2007,2008)

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Other relevant work?

Building Health: Creating and

Enhancing Places for Healthy, Active

Lives: What needs to be done?

Future Health (provisional title)

Making the links between health,

well being and sustainability

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Making green spaces deliver more

Importance of a strategic approach - green

infrastructure for environmental and social

benefits

Do we have the information to support this

approach?

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Making the most of existing data and developing the evidence base

Initial scoping study ‘Green and Pleasant’ research:

1. Creating a baseline of evidence of the current state of England’s urban green space

2. Mapping and understanding the links between deprivation, race and ethnicity and quality of urban green space

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The ‘state’ of England’s urban green spaces

Inventory of over 17,000 spaces in 154 urban local

authorities

Indicators around 6 themes: quantity, quality, use,

accessibility, management and maintenance and

value

14 core indicators as a baseline for future trends

Data gaps and limitations

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Some of the barriers to defining the country’s urban green spaces

No single, national indicator or dataset on quality

Cleanliness or maintenance information only

No dataset of quantity

Deciding specific bundles of characteristics

Combination of objective and subjective indicators

Difficult to isolate the impacts

Measurability and data availability driving definitions

of quality of life and quality of public space

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Barriers continued….

Acute lack of skills e.g. 68% said a lack of

horticulture skills is affecting service delivery

Shortage of professionals such as landscape

architects and green space managers

Collecting data is like eating your greens!

Shortage of directly applicable National Indicators

Source: CABE scoping study into the links between quality of public space and quality of life 27

Features of public space not measured in national datasets

Type of feature of quality

of public space

Feature

Condition/maintenance Robust, Adaptable

Design Well-designed, Legible

Has sense of enclosure

User Healthy

Space for social

interaction

Fulfilling, Relaxing

Function Community resource

Vital and viable,

Functional

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Aspirations for public space

1. Clean: a clean and well cared-for place 2. Accessible: a place that is easy to get to and move through 3. Attractive: a visually pleasing place 4. Comfortable: somewhere that is pleasant to spend time in 5. Inclusive: a place that is welcoming to all 6. Vital and viable: a place that is well used in relation to its

predominant function(s) 7. Functional: a place that functions well at all times 8. Distinctive: somewhere that makes the most of its character 9. Safe and secure: somewhere that feels safe from harm 10 Robust: a place that stands up well to the pressures of everyday

use

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Moving beyond the urban centres - where the quality dips

[picture of a nice central park]

What of the areas that don’t feature on the glossies

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A question of equity

How is quality of urban green space important and

significant to health and well-being in people from

white British and black and minority ethnic groups

living in deprived areas of England?

What is the impact of varying quality in urban

green space on well-being in these areas?

What are the implications of these findings for

policy makers?

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Author Method Target group

Rishbeth, in press[1] QUAL(audio methodologies)

First generation migrants, Sheffield, and use of urban streetscape, n=11

Dines et al 2006[2] QUAL (focus groups) n=42, ethnographic analysis, semi-structured interviews (n=24)

Newham (cross-section of the local residential population in terms of ethnicity, age, gender and housing tenure)

Rishbeth 2004[3], 2001[4]

QUAL+QUAN(2 year, mixed methods, n=73)

Users of Chumleigh Gardens (Southwark), Calthorpe Project(King’s Cross) white British and Asian/Africans

Topia-Kelly 2004[5] QUALBiographies, n=22

Asian women

Ravenscroft and Markwell 2000[6]

QUALInterviews of park users, (n=294) plus observation

Teenage users of 8 parks in Reading

Woolley and Amin 1999[7]

QAUL+QUANFocus groups, questionnaire (n=117)

Pakistani teenagers, age 13-18,Sheffield

Worpole and Greenhalgh 1995[8]

QUAL+QUANsurveys, interviews, observation, 12 LA’s

Ethnic park users in Middlesbrough, Hounslow, Greenwich and Leicester

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Selecting areas to explore these relationships

6 case study areas in England: London, West Midlands and

North West

On the ground audits of green space

Facilitated face to face household questionnaire and focus

groups

Largest survey of its kind in UK

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Tiers of analysis

Environmental audits of local green spaces

Community group and independent evaluators

Site visits and appraisals

Survey approaches

Conjoint analysis of urban green space relative to other

environmental attributes

Exploring relations across self-perceptions of well-being,

perceived quality and use of local green space

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Issues for consideration

Whether there are convergent similarities or

significant differences between ethnic groups?

Whether our assumptions hold for what is

significant and important to particular

communities?

How this might affect the need and provision for

certain types of green space and the implications

for more responsive management.

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Equates to…

Inclusive design

Sustainable design

Healthy design

Well being and

happiness

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East London Green Grid

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ehobson@cabe.org.uk

cabe.org.uksustainablecities.org.uk

Thank you