Hoyle, H. orcid.org/0000-0001-9036-4147 and Cottrill, W. (2023) Beyond the ‘usual suspects’? Engaging children in diverse communities in co-producing an arboretum-meadow: professional partner perspectives. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 81. 127847. ISSN 1618-8667
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) can mitigate the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and mental wellbeing prioritised by the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The advantages of co-producing NBS with local communities have been explored, yet there is a lack of understanding of professional partners’ priorities in relation to specific projects, and their perceptions of the opportunities and challenges encountered during the co-productive process. The benefits of co-producing NBS with children are not understood, particularly in deprived, diverse communities. We addressed these gaps by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight professional partners in contrasting roles involved in the co-production of an educational arboretum-meadow on a redundant mini-golf site in Wardown Park, within the High Town ward of Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Here there is considerable ethnic diversity with 41% residents White British, and 59% other ethnicities. There are significant Black and Minority Ethnic communities (38%). A high percentage of households live with overcrowding (24%) and 31% year six children are obese. All partners prioritised connecting children to nature. The social benefits of the project were prioritised over ecological and climate-related ones. Most participants perceived diverse partner expertise and priorities as an opportunity of co-production. Covid-19 was considered a significant challenge and an opportunity. Our research provides insight into the potential for co-production of NBS in a relatively deprived, ethnically diverse context to contribute to “futureproofing” towns and cities by fostering nature connection amongst children, whilst providing a novel, creative approach to managing and maintaining GI under austerity. Learning from this project has international transferability as a ‘flagship project’ illustrating how the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed at the local level.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Austerity; Co-production; Green infrastructure; Nature-based solutions; Nature-connection; Sustainable Development Goals |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Landscape Architecture (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 02 Mar 2023 09:43 |
Last Modified: | 02 Mar 2023 09:43 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127847 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127847 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:196946 |