Greenstructure and Urban Planning

Sustainable Urban Environmental Planning - Community Plans

by Anne Beer

Neighbourhood environmental sustainability "actions" - implementing local policies

As an example only this section will focus on one type of neighbourhood level environmental action arising out of developing a Community Environmental Plan - enhancing trees. It aims to show how the principles and ideas behind Local Agenda 21 (see Appendix A) can be achieved gradually by small groups of volunteers working in neighbourhoods to implement a Community Environmental Plan.

If effective local 'actions' to achieve a greater level of sustainability are to be initiated at the local level, then schools, businesses, community groups and public and volunteer agencies all need to be involved. Such actions are easier to stimulate if the strategies and policies of the Community Environmental Plan are clearly based on the link between the behaviour of individuals in their daily life and the achievement of greater levels of environmental sustainability.

Without the involvement of local communities in on the ground 'actions', policies to bring about a more sustainable local environment are unlikely be implemented. The empowerment of local people is a vital element of any strategy to improve a local environment. Local people can work effectively together to apply their understanding of how the policies on biodiversity, water, energy, waste and transport, identified as beneficial to the future sustainability of the district through the Community Environmental Plan, might be implemented in their locality. The necessary re-engineering and regeneration of neighbourhoods does not all have to happen instantly; it can happen slowly over several years through small-scale local environmental 'actions'. These actions might be related to small groups of houses, local greenspaces and community facilities such as school yards, local shopping centres, parks and playing fields. The important point is that an agreed Community Environmental Plan gives each small group some idea of what the most effective local 'actions' in their locality might be.

Opportunities to involve a local community

Drawing up a Community Environmental Plan helps identify the local opportunities for effective 'environmental actions'.

This might include opportunities:

at neighbourhood level for the residents to be involved in effective schemes to recycle and reuse waste and to make more efficient use of water and energy. At this very local neighbourhood level many of the actions that might arise would involve changes in lifestyle within the home and garden.

to enhance the provision of communal facilities and to ensure that all community facilities are connected to the residential areas by a safe, attractive system of pathways and cycleways as well as an efficient and regular bus system

for access to employment, education and skills training for all age groups. This would include the possibility of some local jobs being generated by the encouragement of repair and recycling and maintenance of community facilities, and by the re-engineering of the local greenspace system so that they enhanced social, cultural and ecological sustainability, as well as biodiversity.

for successful community projects with quick obvious end products so that a sense of pride and belonging might be engendered

to become involved in the enhancement of the local levels of biodiversity through individual action in domestic gardens and through communal action in the local greenspaces

to generate more income for the community through selling local produce, marketing local skills and perhaps even making or growing materials for sale to local businesses.

Neighbourhood 'action' days and funding

The encouragement and promotion of neighbourhood 'action' days is an important part of getting a local group of people interested and involved. Such days may include tree planting and landscape management training for local groups led by people with the required expertise either from the wider community or from outside agencies. However, some minimal funds need to be available to enable such groups to make an impact. "Starter" funding could be used to purchase, for instance, garden/landscape management machinery of the type members can share and with which they could raise further money by renting it out to other neighbourhoods in the community. Money is also needed to purchase plants and other materials when any environmental scheme is implemented. Flexible funding schemes are needed which encourage local people to raise money themselves to supplement any 'official' funds.

Another opportunity to raise funds for the local neighbourhood environmental improvements lies in community recycling banks (for compost as well as paper, glass, clothes, aluminium, books, etc.). From these, and through the use of volunteer labour to organise it, a local neighbourhood group can raise some additional funds. Sites for such recycling activities need to be provided by the local authority or a private agency if schemes are to succeed.

The promotion of sustainable environmental practices in domestic gardens is a vital part of enhancing the sustainability of any neighbourhood. Public education about the way in which domestic gardens contribute to a more sustainable environment, particularly in suburban development, could alone make a substantial impact. One way to stimulate this would be for a small group of keen environmentalists to develop, as a contribution to Local Agenda 21 in their community, a series of talks and workshops on wildlife gardening, backing this up with leaflet drops as well as the distribution and display of material in shops, schools and other local public buildings.

There is no one way to ensure the involvement of local community groups; each community is different and will need to be stimulated into action in different ways. The book Urban planning participation (Malbert, 1998) contains useful insights.

The environmental qualities local neighbourhood groups can seek to influence through local actions

Many of the factors relating to the implementation of Local Agenda 21 are outside the control of local neighbourhood groups. However, managing local tree cover and on site water management of water from roofs and paved areas are two important issues which neighbourhood groups can address. The sustainability of both is influenced by the way in which local people use their land and how they manage the resulting landscape. A substantial enhancement of environmental sustainability can be achieved relatively cheaply at neighbourhood level through just 'tweaking' the local landscape, rather than through the all too common approach of public agencies which rely on applying major technological solutions; these often require major funding and the costly involvement of experts. For instance, something as simple as changing the way the local domestic gardens, small greenspaces and other unbuilt land are laid out and used, if it is done over a sufficient area of a district within the objectives of a Community Environmental Plan, can directly enhance local water quality and biodiversity and through that enhance local people's health and quality of life.

Increasing tree cover through local 'actions'

The reasons for increasing tree cover in urban and suburban areas have been discussed earlier in this chapter and in Chapters Four to Seven of this book. They relate in particular to the more sustainable use of energy, biodiversity and those aspects of the quality of life influenced by the appearance of our home environments. Here, as an example of what can be achieved through volunteer activities, we deal only with trees within domestic gardens and with street trees.

Tree cover in domestic gardens and private property in urban and suburban areas

Increasing the area covered by trees and shrubs in domestic gardens and on private land is essential for the creation of a robust tree cover within any existing urban area or suburbia; doing so eventually leads to: the enhancement of biodiversity, lower energy consumption through the reduction of windspeed and a more enjoyable outdoor environment near the home.

The targeting of specific 'tree deficient areas' in a neighbourhood, wherever there is the space for tree planting within the curtilage of the dwelling, helps to maximise a tree planting programme's effectiveness and to use the (inevitably) limited financial resources efficiently. However, no tree planting programme can succeed on private land such as gardens without the support of those owning or managing the land; such a scheme cannot be imposed, but takes hold only as community support grows. Only a very narrow range of small trees and shrubs are suitable in most gardens. It is important to work with experts to identify the best species.

Drawing up leaflets to explain the advantage of increased tree cover should be part of any neighbourhood 'Tree Group's' function. The same group of people could also identify sources of plant material. In general terms:

trees in gardens should be as large as possible, but should not be so large as to outgrow their space and cause nuisance.

The choice of species for domestic gardens should be linked to the objective to enhance biodiversity in the Community Environmental Plan. Where possible native species should be selected in larger gardens, but in smaller gardens it might well prove necessary to plant exotic, small growing species. There is a wide range of garden species which supports insect life and, therefore, birdlife (Jennifer Owens, 1991); they are a valuable component of any strategy to enhance biodiversity in urban areas.

Increasing tree cover through planting more trees in street verges

When formulating a street tree planting programme, it has to be remembered that trees can suffer from a multitude of human induced ailments due to: impervious surfaces; lowering or raising of the water table; scarcity of soil; activity of animals; insufficient water, oxygen and nutrients; compaction; removal of leaf litter; road salt and de-icers; oil, rubber, pesticides, exhaust fumes and chemicals contamination; physical contact, vandalism and traffic; excavation around root zones and poor pruning/maintenance. Street trees need looking after especially when newly planted and the best people to do this are those who live near the trees.

The value of street tree planting is great, but in existing developments the most difficult task is to try and position these trees with the agreement of the householders and in relation to the existing under street services. It is also important to target the programme at the most deficient areas first and to maximise any available funding. Drawing a tree cover map of street trees helps to identify areas deficient in trees and linking this to a roadside verge map helps to develop an understanding of what can be done locally to increase street tree numbers. Street tree species should be chosen on aesthetic and functional grounds and with the aid of expert horticulturists.

The maintenance of street trees is crucial, as a very high proportion die from neglect in urban areas. Neighbourhood 'Tree Groups' could explore with their local authority the possibility of an 'adopt a street tree' scheme. Such a scheme would have the advantage of involving those local residents unable to give much time to community initiatives but still wanting to help through occasional activities; the Tree Group could develop a list of instructions for the maintenance of such trees with the aid of local authority experts.

Community preference and involvement

Wherever new planting affects housing, local surveys need to be carried out as part of the community group's work in order to establish local preferences. These can then be taken into account in deciding what to plant and where. The neighbourhood groups will need to develop an associated programme of publicity, information and education that helps people to understand, interact with and ultimately support any changes to their environment.

For further ideas on the involvement of community groups in the implementation of local environmental plans the reader is referred to the case studies which can be accessed through the website: http://www.arbeer.demon.co.uk.

Sustainable Communities - local action

Introduction

Background

Abiotic data

Biotic data

Social, cultural and economic

A Community Environmental Plan

Local policies

Neighbourhood "actions"

Landscape Structure Zones

References

Maps - Case Study

Return to top of page

click here to RETURN TO COST C11 WEBSITE