Plants and Green Spaces – their Unique Contribution to Local Communities

Plants and Green Spaces – their unique contribution to Local Communities Community Cohesion/Big Society • Parks, gardens, allotments and other green activities provide social capital and foster community engagement1 . Volunteer groups and other local... More

Plants and Green Spaces – their unique contribution to Local Communities Community Cohesion/Big Society • Parks, gardens, allotments and other green activities provide social capital and foster community engagement1 . Volunteer groups and other local residents could be more involved in maintenance with support from Councils’ parks departments. This is low cost and sustainable; • Involving local residents in decisions on where trees should be planted also encourages community engagement and liaison and less likelihood of vandalism to newly planted trees so reducing costs; • If parks and gardens are not maintained regularly they could incur long-term costs to rebuild them; • Buildings with high levels of greenery have experienced 32% fewer crimes2 ; lower crime means less expenditure on policing and community liaison in the longer term. Climate Change & Energy Consumption • A 10% increase in urban tree coverage will counteract climate change by reducing urban “heat island” temperature Less