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22
News and views
from the Commission for Architecture
& the Built Environment
CABE Space - championing the public realm.
Rachel Toms
Programme Officer -
Enabling and Delivery,
CABE Space
T: 020 7960 2463
E: rtoms@cabe.org.uk
This article and the
following article on
Stoneleigh Park follows
up on ‘The Urban
Vision’ theme of SCALA
2003 in October which
included a presentation
by Jon Rouse, Chief
Executive of CABE - Ed.
Urban space, as the public fabric of cities, directly
influences our sense of place and the pride, dismay
or dissatisfaction that we feel about our local
environments. Successful parks and green spaces
can contribute to many facets of quality of life:
health and exercise, education, community
interaction, contact with nature, play and safety.
The government has now fully recognised that our
parks and green spaces have been under-funded and
subject to considerable decline over the last 25 years.
In 2002, the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce report
Better Places, revealed that:
• our parks have lost an estimated £1.3 billion of
public investment since 1979
• 30% of the public say they don’t use parks, usually
because they feel unsafe
• this figure is much higher for elderly people and
those from minority ethnic groups
• if you live in a deprived area, your parks are likely
to be in a worse condition than if you live in a
wealthy area
• according to the most recent statistics, an
estimated 56% of local authorities have no urban
green space strategy
• our streetscapes are in a very poor state with rigid
highway engineering standards and lack of overall
management control, creating hostile environments
• twice as many people think their local
neighbourhood has got worse rather than better in
the last few years.
So how do we go about achieving a real improvement
in our urban spaces for the benefit of local populations?
The Urban Green Spaces Taskforce found that for local
authorities, the lack of a green space or open space
strategy is a real barrier to having a high quality public
realm. Many councils are preparing a host of different
strategies and may be cautious about written
documents potentially obscuring rather than generating
action on the ground. But as the provision of high
quality green space is not a statutory obligation for local
authorities, a strategy can formalise priorities, clarify
the need for additional funding and start to reverse the
decline of urban green space. According to authorities
which have strategies in place, they help drive and
focus the implementation of green space projects,
improve maintenance services, secure funding and set
green spaces high on the council’s agenda.
PPG17 defines green space through a topology list
which ranges from parks and gardens to cemeteries,
sports grounds and allotments. A robust strategy
defines a vision for change across all types of green
space within a local authority area. It covers the
provision, design, maintenance and management of
green spaces and addresses community involvement
in terms of defining needs and articulating aspirations.
The strategy assesses supply (existing provision) and
demand (population and demographics) to identify
aspects for improvement and change. A green space
framework and an implementation plan set out and
prioritise the actions required to deliver the vision.
CABE Space aims to significantly increase the number
of councils with a green space strategy and to ensure
that new strategies are robust and effective in their
mandate for revitalising our parks and green spaces.
Launched in May 2003, CABE Space is the Commission
for Architecture and the Built Environment’s new unit to
champion a high quality and successful public realm
for England’s cities. The unit has been established
with a remit for all urban public space, but with an
initial emphasis on parks and green spaces.
Guidance for local authorities producing green space
strategies is being co-ordinated by CABE Space’s
Enabling and Delivery programme. Its advisory
scheme seeks to drive up the standard of England’s
urban spaces by funding experts in public realm
strategy planning, design and management to provide
assistance to councils and other providers of public
space. An advisory panel of 60 consultants has been
established and they are currently providing 30 local
authorities with between 5 and 15 days of free advice
on the content and production of their green space
strategy. A further 60 local authorities embarking on
strategies will be assisted in January and February
2004 through free training days. Participants will
receive guidance from the advisory panel on detailed
aspects of preparing a green space strategy, such as
approaches to site audit and techniques for gaining
political support. A good practice guide on green
space strategy preparation will be published by CABE
Space in the spring.
Gateshead and Harlow are both receiving assistance
from the advisory scheme. Harlow’s urban fabric is
likely to expand and change significantly in the future,
having been identified as part of the M11 corridor

Cabepage 23
housing growth area in the Government’s Sustainable
Communities programme. A strategic approach to the
type, location and standard of green space is essential
in ensuring that both existing and new residents have
access to the best possible parks and open spaces.
CABE Space has appointed two advisors to assist
Gateshead Borough Council in preparing its first green
space strategy. Through a substantial grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund, the council has already
embarked on restoring Saltwell Park, one of its finest
Victorian parks. Work on the strategy will endeavour to
Harlow’s green spaces are set to
serve a growing population
Gateshead is making plans for its parks to
become better suited to users’ needs
put this project within a strategic framework that
addresses a wider range of green spaces.
Advisory work during the next few months will focus
on the process of auditing Gateshead’s green spaces
and a stakeholder visioning workshop to explore how
the city’s significant park heritage can meet
increasingly diverse needs and expectations.
The enabling programme and its training days are
fully subscribed for this financial year although it is
planned to continue the scheme next year to assist
more local authorities.
“CABE Space aims
to significantly
increase the number
of councils with a
green space strategy
and to ensure that
new strategies are
robust and effective.”
CABE Space’s current programmes:
Policy and Research
• all of CABE Space’s work to be underpinned by
empirical research and clear policy positions,
aiming to demonstrate the value of parks and
urban public space
• three current research projects (findings to be
published from spring 2004 onwards):
• examination of the economic value of high
quality parks by looking at their beneficial impact
on local residents, businesses and services
• investigation into international practice for
transferable lessons to improve maintenance
and management
• a bringing together of the wealth of existing research
on the benefits of high quality urban public space
Enabling and Delivery
• running an advisory scheme to provide expert
assistance to local authorities and other open
space providers, with the aim of driving up the
standard of England’s public realm; green spaces
are the focus this year
• offering detailed guidance to 30 local authorities
preparing green space strategies
• assisting a further 60 local authorities with their
green space strategies through training days
• green space strategy good practice guide to be
published in spring 2004
• providing assistance on up to 10 individual sitebased
open space projects across the country
Standards and Best Practice
• publishing good practice guides with the aim
of raising the standard of parks and open spaces
in England
• first two guides to be published in April 2004:
involving young people in the design and
management of urban open spaces, and a framework
for the management of individual green spaces
• establishing national standards to measure the
quality of parks and open spaces with CABE
Space’s partners, particularly through development
of the Green Flag Awards Scheme
Campaigns and advocacy
• running campaigns in national and local media to
raise aspirations for urban open space
• the ‘Wasted Space?’ campaign run in autumn 2003
highlighted derelict and disused urban spaces,
attracting over 2,000 nominations around the country
• a campaign is in spring 2004 will encourage
communities to get involved in improving their
local environment