Nicola Dempsey

Urban domestic gardens (XI): variation in urban wildlife gardening in the United Kingdom

Two consequences of the continued urbanisation of the human population are that a growing proportion of the landscape is less hospitable to, and that a growing proportion of people are disconnected from, native biodiversity. One response of the UK government has been to establish a goal, and an associated baseline indicator, of increasing the extent and range of public participation in gardening for wildlife. The formulation of policy to attain this end requires, however, insight into the factors that are associated with the level of participation. Here we examine the relationships, across 15 areas in five UK cities, between the proportion of households providing various garden features for wildlife or participating in various wildlife gardening activities, and housing densities and characteristics of the garden resource. We show that significant numbers of households participate in some form of wildlife gardening, but that the predominant form this participation takes is feeding wild birds. Key variables associated with spatial variation in wildlife gardening activities are the proportion of households with access to a garden and, more importantly, average garden size and the proportion of land cover by gardens. There was no evidence for strong effects of household density or the socio-economic status of householders on the prevalence of wildlife friendly features in gardens or on the participation by householders in activities to encourage wildlife. Our results suggest important considerations in attempts to increase awareness and participation in wildlife gardening.

Quality of the Built Environment in Urban Neighbourhoods

High-quality built environments have long been promoted in urban planning and design on the grounds that they are, among other things, socially beneficial places where positive social activity and behaviour abound. Such claims are not supported by empirical evidence and, despite a plethora of design guidance documents and prescriptive theory, there is no consensus on how a high-quality space is defined. This paper takes this first step of critically reviewing the concept of the high-quality built environment. The underlying aim of the paper is to identify key features of high-quality built environments at the neighbourhood scale. Theorists and practitioners have long advocated high-quality built environments in which people should live and work. According to Cowan, ‘there was much agonizing about the miserable quality of urban environments’ as a result of the industrial epoch in Britain (1997, p. 11). In the 19th century, the urban population increased dramatically and ‘new social trends . . . raised housing expectations and produced a climate of opinion in which . . . housing evils came to be regarded as unacceptable’ (Burnett, 1978, p. 3; Engels, [1845] 1987). Edwin Chadwick directed public attention to the poor public health conditions in working-class areas where overcrowding, disease, poverty and crime were rife (Chadwick, [1842] 1965; Godwin, [1859] 1972; Burnett, 1978). Ebenezer Howard (1898), in Abstract

Elements of Urban Form

This chapter provides a common platform for the research presented in this book and is divided into two parts. The first section examines the elements of urban form identified for the purposes of the research and explains how they were measured. The second section profiles the five case study cities and fifteen case neighbourhoods which were the focus for the empirical research discussed in later chapters. These profiles provide an outline of both the urban form and socio-economic characteristics of the areas studied. The chapter concludes with a review of the urban form features of the case study cities and neighbourhoods, and shows how the different physical elements integrate together with socio-economic characteristics.

Place-keeping: Open space management in practice

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Understanding place-keeping of open space

eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website.

Resourcing place-keeping - fighting for funding

eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website.

From space to place: The importance of place-keeping

eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website.

Contracting out parks and roads maintenance in England

Purpose – Different models have been adopted in England over time to organise public service delivery. The purpose of this paper is to explore contracting-out, a prevalent model of public service delivery in England, in relation to parks and roads maintenance delivery by examining private contractors’ performance according to local authority stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Since the Conservative Government was in power during the 1980s, local authorities have been an arena for experimentation of contracting-out to private and other sectors. This paper provides a review of the academic and grey literature, and findings are presented from a large-scale online questionnaire survey (n=103) which was distributed to the relevant public realm managers in English local authorities. Findings – The paper shows that contracting-out of parks and roads maintenance happens across the country in different ways. By and large, local authorities are satisfied with the performance of contractors, particularly as...

Cultural Diversity and Spatial Structure in the Indian Urban Context

Cities around the world have marked differences in spatial form and structure. To some extent this can be attributed to cultural differences. However, the impact spatial form has on the interactions within and between residents of different neighbourhoods is unclear. This paper calls on empirical evidence collected in the Walled City of Ahmedabad, India, home to Hindu and Muslim residents in distinct neighbourhoods for centuries. Employing Space Syntax method, this paper reveals significant differences in how public spaces are spatially laid out by these two communities. Muslim neighbourhoods have a spatial structure typical of a naturally evolved settlement, where the most integrated spaces are clustered centrally. In contrast, Hindu neighbourhoods have an ‘inside-out’ pattern, with the most integrated spaces located at the neighbourhood edge. The cultural significance of these distinct forms is discussed alongside the relationship between the neighbourhoods and the rest of the city. These findings on spatial structure could have an important role in Ahmedabad’s urban planning . A better understanding of how public space relates to lifestyle and culture could contribute to improved community relations. It could also contribute to dealing successfully with communal conflict, economic development, social sustainability as part of Ahmedabad’s future urban planning strategies.

Neighbourhood Design: Green Space and Parks

As urban areas grow over time, the green areas that once surrounded them change, often absorbed by the encroaching urban environment. Some of this green space becomes commons, parks, and cemeteries and other green spaces, often created, designed, or set aside to provide a space for residents to get fresh air and escape urban life, albeit temporarily. Such objectives have a long history, dating back to the Victorian era when public parks were created for all members of society to use. In the twenty-first century, the nature of leisure and recreational activities are very different from those in the Victorian age: many are not dependent on the outdoor environment, which arguably calls into question the relevance of the public park. The role that parks and green areas play in urban areas is discussed in detail here, with specific reference to the history of the park within the Western context. This is followed by discussion of a number of dimensions of parks and green areas highlighting how such spaces might influence people’s everyday experience of the urban environment. These dimensions include the design, function, maintenance, and ‘greenness’ of the space. The future of green areas and parks is discussed by way of a conclusion with reference to current thinking on how such spaces can continue to support everyday life in increasingly urbanised living environments.