Save Britain’s parks - Dr Anna Barker featured in the Metro
Dr Barker’s article highlighting the need to save our parks in The Conversation has been republished in the Metro.
Anna has been involved in a recent research project examining the future prospects of our parks. Despite the research indicating that nine out of ten of the 6,500 people surveyed, have made at least one visit to a park in Leeds in the past year, many park managers are experiencing budget cuts. Anna’s research indicates that people still view parks as the “green lungs of the city” yet also fear that green spaces may be threatened by housing or commercial activity.
Anna suggests that the future could hold “magnet parks”, "parks which are managed as city-wide public assets where major events are held" or even “club parks” or “theme parks”.
The research highlights the need for local and central government to have a statutory duty to safeguard parks, be accountable to the public over the future of parks and ensure basic standards of upkeep are maintained. The research also indicates that the creation of a national agency to lead and co-ordinate within the sector could be beneficial.
