Introduction
Purpose and aims of the future park standard
The intention of the Future Park Standard method is to ensure that all parks meet the ‘Fair’ or ‘entry’ level requirement for Green Flag, as a proxy for a national minimum standard.
Introduction
The City of Nature Plan
Developed through the Future Parks Accelerator Project, the 25-year City of Nature Delivery Plan (2022) is changing the way Birmingham treats its natural environment and how it thinks about the future of its parks and green spaces. Although Birmingham has around 600 blue and green spaces, many of these parks were inherited from our Victorian past. The Future Parks Project looked at how other cities around the world have responded to the issue of unequal access to green space; and from this research and collaboration has become the first UK local authority to develop a measurement tool for environmental justice and a green infrastructure management tool through the development of the Future Parks Standard.
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is defined as: the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, colour, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. We have also developed a map that shows where in the city compound issues are being felt most.
The red wards show those areas of the city where there is the least environmental justice for citizens living there. This presents a real challenge to the city. Over the course of the 25-year delivery plan, the Birmingham Fair Parks Standard will be applied to all parks, ensuring all those falling below the threshold are brought up to that standard; starting with those scoring lowest, ensuring our parks network moves from red to green by 2047.
From 2022 to 2027, we have funding to focus efforts on the following 6 wards –
- Bordesley and Highgate
- Balsall Heath West
- Nechells
- Gravelly Hill
- Pype Hayes
- Castle Vale
However, we will work with all wards in the city to provide support on how they can do more to support their green spaces.
Levelling up
Each park in the priority Red Wards will have elements assessed against a standard under the same 5 city wide City of Nature themes.
• Fair – is it welcoming, accessible, clean, and safe?
• Green – are there different trees and plants, are there habitats for wildlife, is it managed sustainably?
• Healthy – are there walking routes, quiet areas, activities, is the park used for social prescriptions; and play value?
• Involved – can you find out what’s happening in your park, can you influence what is happening?
• Valued – do we know the worth of what the park provides, is that shared, are there ways to raise extra funds?
When a park is assessed, if it doesn’t meet the Birmingham Future Parks Standard (BFPS) an action plan will be created to detail out what can be done to raise the park to this standard. This approach will set a new benchmark of quality for all Birmingham City Council parks. Over the course of this 25-year period all parks will be assessed against the Birmingham Future Parks Standard and action plans will be created for all those not meeting the standard to help direct the work of the City of Nature Alliance and identify any need to look for additional funding through the sustainable finance model.
The aims of using this method are:
- To ensure that everybody has access to green and other open spaces of a Fair Standard, irrespective of where they live.
- To ensure that these spaces are appropriately managed and meet the needs of the communities that they serve.
- To establish standards of good management, and to promote and share best practice amongst the green space community.
- To recognise and reward the work of managers, staff, and volunteers.
Minimum Standard
Most public services have nationally published and monitored minimum standards; Parks are unusual as they have never had these.
The intention of the Future Parks Standard is to get all parks to the ‘entry’ level requirement for Green Flag as a proxy for a national minimum standard. This level is described as scoring as “Fair”
This can be used to assess every park and green space, as opposed to the Green Flag Award which is an award of excellence and is normally only used to assess parks that would be considered a standard high enough to achieve a Green Flag award.
Developing a guide
We are developing a guide to help Future Park Standard assessors, whether those are parks professionals or communities, to be able to apply this method.
It outlines the process required to undertake a Future Park Standard audit which includes considering the context of the site involving certain desktop studies or data sets in addition to an onsite audit.
The approach taken does mirror that of the Green Flag Award, as that method is widely understood and accepted as a norm across the UK and internationally, therefore the Band Scores align with the Green Flag Award.
On site audit
The field or onsite audit must be informed by the site’s wider context with a key focus on community capacity and engagement.
Scoring elements on site
The Green Flag scoring bands are as below:
We want all parks to score as at least “Fair” when we audit. To meet this standard all elements, must meet a minimum score of 5 out of 10, with 0/1 being very poor and 10 being exceptional.
Please Note: The Future Park Standard audit will also make recommendations of how the site can reach the “Good” or Green Flag Standard with additional resource. For sites that are scoring as “Good” then recommendations for reaching “Very Good” would be made and so on.
There are currently 22 criteria which the site is audited against, which sit under five sections.
A Fair Park
A fair park is a welcoming place. It is one that invites and draws people into it – it creates a good first impression.
This means creating a space which, through its visual appearance, range of facilities, standards of maintenance and ease of access, makes people feel that they are entering a cared-for place which is in turn reflected in the greater enjoyment of, and respect for, the park.
A Fair Park should:
- Feel welcoming.
- Have good access to site.
- Have good and appropriate signage.
- Have equality of access to facilities.
A Healthy Park
For a park to provide public health benefits both physical and mental health, the site needs to not only provide opportunities for healthy activities but also be safe and secure, so people feel confident and able to use the facilities and activities provided.
A Healthy Park should:
- Provide facilities and activities (appropriate to site).
- Have equipment and facilities that are safe.
- Be managed to provide personal security.
- Control of dogs and dog fouling.
A Green Park
This section covers a wide range of criteria including biodiversity, waste management, horticultural management, tree management. We know from consultation that if a park isn’t seen as clean and well managed then wilder more natural and biodiverse areas are often seen as unmanaged. We want parks to be place for nature recovery and spaces for wildlife to thrive so we need to make sure the balance between management and wildness is maintained.
A Green Park should:
- Show good waste management, including litter.
- Show good horticultural management of grass, shrubs, flower beds etc.
- Show good tree management.
- Show good maintenance of structures.
- Show good maintenance of equipment used by public (where relevant).
- Show good management of natural features.
- Show good diversity of species of plants.
- Show good provision of habitats for appropriate animal species.
- Provide wetland / water features where appropriate.
An Involved Park
This criterion serves to verify that the provision of facilities, services and events is suitable for the whole range of users and potential users – within the limitations of the site. Judges will welcome evidence of analysis of the current provisions, clearly identified gaps for particular groups and proposed solutions inserted into future plans in the management plan. In 5 Appropriate Provision of Facilities and Activities, the existing facilities, activities and events on site are evaluated only to ensure that they allow users to lead healthy lifestyles, and to be personally safe and secure. This criterion takes a much broader and longer term approach as it looks at how, having analysed the needs of users and potential users, the full range of facilities and activities on site have and will be adjusted to serve them better. Research3 shows that people visit green spaces for different reasons – some for adventure and challenge, some seeking peace and solitude and a spiritual connection to nature, others for family activity and the recreational needs of their children, and yet others for social activity, sports and fun with friendship groups. Age, gender, culture, ethnicity, and social and personal circumstances also play a part in shaping these needs. Recognising that every site will have its limitations, managers should seek to understand this diverse range of needs, and where possible, to provide suitable facilities and related activities. The part that this site plays in any district-wide or local plan for varied provision should be detailed in the management plan. Limiting facilities to maintain a particular site’s characteristics is just as valid. For example, a nature reserve protecting sensitive ecosystems or species may aim to keep visitor numbers low, so they might aim to keep on-site facilities to a minimum. There is no predetermined list of expectations depending on the ‘type’ of site – it is important to respond to the needs of users. It is also important to feed back to users what can and cannot be provided and the reason behind the decision.
A Valued Park
Natural spaces provide what are known as Eco System Services and Natural Capital. The term natural capital refers to the elements of the natural environment that provide valuable goods and services to society. It applies an economic lens to the world’s stocks of natural assets — like forests, rivers, and soil — and how society and businesses rely on them to function. Think clean air and water, medicine and food, temperature, and weather regulation. Even small sites in an urban setting offer important services. Understanding both the financial value and cost of these services is what “Valued” is all about.
Naturally Birmingham Future Parks Project 