Nature connection through engagement with greenspaces plays an important role in promoting well-being. In England, certain groups, such as girls and young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, have limited access to high-quality greenspaces and face other barriers to engaging with nature. In Oxfordshire, the County Council has committed to improving access to greenspace and nature for all. In 2022, a group consisting of twenty girls and young women (aged 10–16) from East Oxford not-for- profit organisations, academic institutions and public bodies came together to start an initiative called ‘Greenspace & Us’. The girls and young women participated in six three- hour workshops in February to March 2022. Using the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour) approach, we explored the enablers and barriers to girls and young women in Oxford engaging more with nature, which included: increasing equity of access; introducing meaningful co-production; taking safety concerns seriously; making nature normal; promoting the right to play; and increasing the ability to connect with greenspaces. The outputs of this process were synthesised into the ‘Greenspace & Us Manifesto’, which was crafted collectively. Furthermore, these insights were used to design inclusive park furniture, which was later installed in a local park in East Oxford. In this practice-based article, we outline the methods, outcomes as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the engagement, co-design and co-production approaches we used in Greenspace & Us. We hope the insights from our project will support more inclusive and equitable design of greenspaces for all.
Cole, StuartGoodenough, JessicaHaniff, MelissaHussain, NafeesaIbrahim, SaharJani, AnantJiggens, EmilyKhan, AnsaLangford, PippaMontgomery, LouiseMoore, ElizabethRowe, RosieSkinner, Sam
School of Arts
Year of publication: 2024Date of RADAR deposit: 2024-07-11