Through the Local-Ecological lens, we articulate how nature can contribute to recreation and Support Mental Health. As such, we see nature as a social phenomena as well as ecological, because it provides essential support to the improvement of our physical and psychological health. Nature itself is essential to ecological thriving, but without just and equitable access to this nature, the social benefits that contribute to thriving lives are limited. For this reason, we see access to nature as a crucial element of social foundations.
In Birmingham City Council's Future City Plan, which outlines goals and aspirations until 2040, they outline aspiring to:
“Create a connected and diverse network of green and open spaces meeting a spectrum of community needs.” (Birmingham City Council, 2021)
As discussed further in the Local-Ecological lens of this Data Portrait of Place, data across local ecology and access to green space is extremely limited on a local scale. For this dimension, we have looked at acres of green space and the number of parks spread across Birmingham. However, it is also crucial to examine the accessibility of these green spaces in relation to where people live. This is an element that is often missed in our selected indicator, but is a crucial tenet of working towards climate justice.
Natural England’s Natural Green Space Standard (ANGST) states that:
“No person should live more than 300m from their nearest area of natural green space, which should be at least two hectares in size.” (Natural England, n.d.).
There should also be at least one accessible 20 hectare site within two kilometres of home. There should be one accessible 100 hectare site within five kilometres from home, and there should be one accessible 500 hectare site within ten kilometres of home. (Natural England, n.d.). In order to truly assess how equitable access to nature is across the Ladywood constituency, a more extensive data exercise is needed.