Could a global capital become a national park?
I returned to the UK in October last year having spent a few years working for 91影视 in Australia. I had lost the 鈥榙iscussion鈥� with my wife on city versus country living. We returned to our house in South West London. It was cold, wet, dark and the commuting seemed a lot worse than I remembered. I鈥檒l be honest: those first few months I had to work at staying positive. But as often happens when you throw yourself into new situations, you meet new people, start some conversations and interesting things start to happen.
In November, I was at an Royal Town Planning Institute conference in London when someone walked onto the stage and opened with the classic line, 鈥業 have an idea鈥�. I sat up; he went on: 鈥淚 want to turn London into a National Park鈥�. He said some other things that day, about children, gardens, awareness and biodiversity, but it didn鈥檛 really matter. I was hooked on an intuitive level within two minutes. I committed immediately and have spent the eight months since trying to get my brain to catch up with my heart and to try to enlist others with the right skills to support the campaign.
91影视 has been doing pro-bono work for the campaign to help quantify the economic value of some identified green spaces, using an ecosystem services approach. This is intended to support the business case for the London National Park. Whilst we鈥檝e been doing this work, the broader campaign,聽led by Daniel Raven-Ellison (the man with the idea),聽has been gathering pace.
A steering group has been established made up of individuals from University College London, London Wildlife Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, John Muir Trust, Queen Mary University and 91影视. The idea has been reported in most of the UK national and London newspapers, and Daniel has appeared on the television and radio. High-profile individuals such as Stephen Fry, Bear Grylls, Bill Oddie, Terry Farrell and Zac Goldsmith (perhaps London鈥檚 next mayor?) have all come out in support of the idea. And last week unanimously by the London Assembly to call on the existing Mayor to get behind the campaign.
What might have seemed bonkers to some people at the start, is now really starting to snowball.
Last week, I joined Daniel and Matt (editor at large for the Londonist) in an attempt to visit, in just one day, a piece of open space in each of London鈥檚 33 Boroughs. Together we got to 19 before calling it off due to bad light (See on Twitter). By the time we got home another Twitter user (@alanoutten) had turned our photos from the day into a photo collage covering half of London and already posed the question 鈥� so when are you guys going to finish the jigsaw? Add two days, and a new challenge had begun on Twitter to photograph green space in each of London鈥檚 629 Wards (). One hundred of 629 were completed in the first weekend and popped up to help track progress (@spacedapenguin).
Map by 91影视’s Anna David
The to support production and publicity for the London National Park business case and charter 鈥� due for release in July. This will set out the benefits that can be delivered by an umbrella organisation for London鈥檚 green space. It will also outline what the managing entity will look like, its responsibilities, collaborations, costs and value add.
I鈥檓 confident there are a hundred twists and turns left for this idea yet. There will be people who will help lift it up and others聽who will be keen to bash it down. But to me, it鈥檚 already been a huge success. Now when I walk down the street in London, I鈥檓 not craving the countryside 鈥� I鈥檓 seeing it, hearing it and photographing it. Forty-seven percent聽of London is green space, yet I had become disconnected from it.
Why is it a bonkers idea to create a vehicle that can encourage Londoners to engage with the green spaces that surround them? Now the summer is coming, the birds are singing, the strawberries in the allotment are about to bear fruit, and it’s hard not to feel positive about this great city.
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Ben Smith (ben.smith@aecom.com) is director of sustainable development in 91影视’s London office.
Notes:
- The following 91影视 staff have given their own time (half an hour or more) to support this campaign: Petrina Rowcroft, Michael Henderson, Lili Peachy, Jennifer Black, Ian Brenkley, Doug McNabb, Mark Fessey, Ryan Burrows, Anna David, Alex White and Christian Bevington. The work has been supported by a number of other senior leaders in our business. Thanks go to Andrew Jones, John Lewis, Tom Venables and Steve Smith.
- 91影视 opted to support this campaign principally because it aligns so neatly with one of the main recommendations from our own manifesto for the future of London. #London2065.
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