Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
towards what advocates see as the search for urban places having greater balance
or harmony with nature is slow, these ideas have helped stimulate the green agenda
and continue to attract attention.
A second principle is that advocates should avoid thinking only in the top-down
policy terms of the past, where only governments or city officials make all the deci-
sions. It is important to find ways of creating
citizen interest and pressure
to per-
suade governments to develop green spaces, educating and involving people in the
movement to make cities cleaner and more attractive as well as persuading donors
to contribute to the greening of urban places, rather than leaving it only to govern-
ments. In this way the citizens will have a stake in maintaining and protecting their
biotic and physical environment, rather than outsourcing responsibility to city of-
ficials and perhaps police, which may help to a return to the old ideas of stewardship
and responsibility over the land.
Third, it is important for green advocates not too be too negative about develop-
ment, as many environmentalists have been in the past. Porritt (
2005
), a leading
Green campaigner, altered his previous views by observing that since capitalism
is likely to continue as the primary economic system in the world, green advocates
should search for policies that will appeal to market solutions without compromis-
ing their basic objectives. In this way they will
operate within the economic system
,
just as the ecologically minded people stress working within the natural system.
Finally, it is also worth re-emphasizing the
benefits of nature and green spaces
.
The old notions of green areas being useful as places of relaxation and recreation
are only part of the many reasons for developing green policies. Many other ad-
vantages, including the improvement of the health of people, the aesthetic values,
agricultural potentials, and the protection of the local and even the world envi-
ronment—especially its climate and atmosphere—are being recognized. After all,
nature creates its own economic benefits, from trees absorbing CO2, to wetlands
removing pollutants. Yet these benefits do not only improve the life of residents
or the local ecology. It is recognized that a large and varied supply of green space
is likely to enhance the image of a settlement and can help attract a qualified and
educated workforce and new businesses, adding to its future potential and viability.
However, adding to the supply of these green spaces is not enough. There must also
be ways of encouraging the
use
of these green areas in urban settlements, whether
for sport or recreation. Many urban places around the world do not have enough
green space, especially in the less developed world. Even in Britain where there is
an extensive system of public parks in towns, one of the important pioneering heri-
tages from the Victorian era of municipal activism, problems are emerging. Since
1996 the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided over ﾣ 700 m to British parks which
led to major improvements to a system that has an estimated 2.6 billion visitors per
year (HLF
2014
). But since 2010 government cutbacks to local councils has led
to a serious deterioration, with 86 % of park managers reporting cuts that have led
to cafes and toilets being closed, or with reduced hours, and untended flower beds
etc. The result is that 74 % of respondents to a survey (HLF
2014
) maintained their
parks are in poor condition, a situation that is likely to get worse. Indeed 45 % of
local authorities contacted are seriously contemplating selling off parks or green
