The green green grass of home is good for neighbourhoods, says report

Green spaces make for better neighbours – and that’s a fact, according to a good practice review carried out by the University of Sheffield.

High quality housing green spaces have proven to make a huge impact on the lives of tenants, residents and other people living in local neighbourhoods. That's the verdict of a new good practice guide from Neighbourhoods Green, sponsored by Zurich Municipal, as it makes the case for “excellent quality” housing green spaces.

‘Greener Neighbourhoods: A good practice guide to managing green space’ draws on a literature review undertaken by the University of Sheffield, and is said to offer illustrative case studies of 10 key principles and provides a practical resource signposting to further information. The guide aims to “inspire and support” social landlords and their residents to take more action to plan for and improve their green space assets.

At the launch hosted by the National Housing Federation (NHF), Helen Williams, the organisation’s director of neighbourhoods, said: “Housing associations play an important role in ensuring that good quality open spaces are accessible to all. This publication and the wider work of the Neighbourhoods Green partnership illustrates what can be achieved through effective partnership approaches to managing green space.”

Some 17 per cent of households in England have social housing tenure and social landlords are providers of affordable housing for 8.2 million people. In some areas, the landscape managed by social landlords is estimated to be equal to or greater than that which is managed by the local authority park’s service.

Nicola Wheeler, Neighbourhoods Green project coordinator, said: “Local open spaces are effective arenas for promoting healthy lifestyles, bringing about community cohesion and tackling inequality. They provide volunteering and employment opportunities, facilitate civic action and mitigate the effects of climate change.”