Green Is Only Half The Picture: Healthy New Towns
A study of green infrastructure in Barton Park and Elmsbrook
This Story Map compares the communities of Barton Park and Elmsbrook, two ‘demonstrator sites’ of the Healthy New Towns programme, with the aim of surveying what has been achieved and what could be improved in these communities. The Healthy New Towns programme was launched in 2015 by NHS England to investigate how new developments could be designed to encourage healthy behaviours and happier communities.
Summary of Healthy New Towns
Barton Park is a 885-home extension of Barton and Elmsbrook is located in North West Bicester, also consisting of several hundred residences. These Healthy New Towns were envisioned as a means to revolutionise town planning by prioritising mental and physical health. In Oxfordshire, 300,000 adults have been recorded as being either obese or overweight. Obesity alone costs the county £427,000,000 every year. Mental health issues are an even higher burden on the county, amounting to £1,300,000,000 per year (Schüder, 2021).
An important component of the programme is the open availability of green and blue spaces for residents, and hence a large part of the fieldwork was focused on recording these places and observing their features to determine how effectively they contribute to healthy behaviours.
Green Spaces in Barton Park and Elmsbrook
Both Barton Park and Elmsbrook host a wide and diverse range of green and blue spaces for residents. The ample coverage of green infrastructure, defined as 'multi-functional green space' capable of improving the quality of life of residents of local communities, is critical to the objectives of Healthy New Towns (National Planning Policy Framework, 2021).
Access to green spaces and nature is certainly something which must be improved in Oxfordshire. A recent report showed that none of the residences in Oxfordshire meet all the Accessible Natural Greenspace Standards (ANGSt). Even worse, 14% of residences meet none of these standards (Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre, 2017). Therefore, it was welcome to see that both Barton Park and Elmsbrook have integrated green spaces throughout the built environment.
During our fieldwork, we observed parks, streams, woodland, exercise equipment, community gardens, seating areas and a range of other examples of green infrastructure designed to promote the physical activity of residents. Figures 1-10 reveal a sample of the green and blue spaces we came across.
Figure 1) Wooded areas
We began our fieldwork at Barton Park, next to a nearby wood.
Spaces such as these provide opportunities for outdoor activities by schools and clubs.
Figure 2) Linear Park
The linear park in Barton stretches across the northern boundary of the community for about one kilometre.
Figure 3) Greenways
These greenways are used as sustainable urban drainage systems.
Figure 4) Playing fields
Areas for young children and adolescents to play sport. Located near Barton Park Primary School, these are opportune spaces for after-school activities.
Figure 5) Allotments
Allotments are ideal for adult residents, although their financial cost does raise questions about their accessibility.
Figure 6) Seating Areas
We have now travelled from Barton Park to Elmsbrook.
Seating areas are regularly dispersed across both communities alongside footpaths, serving as resting points for residents.
Figure 7) Community Garden Plots
Another draw to adult residents, encouraging light physical activity and social bonds between community residents.
Figure 8) Parks
Parks are a regular feature of both communities, encouraging children to engage in active play. Older residents are also incentivised into becoming active by supervising their grandchildren at these parks.
Figure 9) Blue Spaces
The shallow depths of some water sports provides opportunities for young children to paddle. However, deeper areas can pose safety risks.
Figure 10) Fields
Seating areas integrated into fields make these prime locations for picnicking and informal sports.
The following maps detail the locations of green spaces that we came across in both communities. Note: this is NOT a comprehensive map of all green spaces in the local area.
Figure 13) Green Spaces in Barton Park. Green markers indicate small community garden plots.
Figure 12) Green Spaces in Elmsbrook. Green markers indicate small community garden plots.
Figure 11 shows that the majority of green spaces in Barton Park are distributed along the northern edge of the community, along with a large allotment area in the south east. By contrast, in Elmsbrook green spaces are integrated more naturally into residential communities, with community gardening plots interspersed between houses. This perhaps explains why the plots in Elmsbrook appeared to be more regularly used than those in Barton Park.
Overall, the difference in the spatial distribution of green spaces between the two communities indicates Elmsbrook to be the more effective utiliser of green infrastructure. The rigid division between Barton Park's linear park and its residences gave us an impression of artificiality, while homes in Elmsbrook seemed to fit in with the surroundings. These findings have potential implications for future 'green' developments, suggesting that green spaces should be positioned among, rather than alongside, residential sections, in order to maximise their usage.
Qualities and Accessibility of Green Spaces
Ultimately, being green is only half the picture, and where Barton Park and Elmsbrook also differ is in the quality of their green spaces, which research has shown has an impact on visitation frequency and health benefits (Nguyen, Astell-Burt, Rahimi-Ardabili and Feng, 2021). In general, the qualities of green spaces in Elmsbrook were superior to those in Barton Park.
Figure 13) Isochrone map of Barton Park, showing accessibility of its linear park.
This isochrone map shows the 5 and 10 minute walking distance from the centre of the linear park (dark and light shades respectively), running along the northern boundary of the new Barton Park development. The park includes many of the features in Figures 1-10, including children's parks, gardening plots, blue spaces and woodland.
The isochrone map indicates that the linear park is easily accessible for all residents of the community, along with many residents in neighbouring communities. This evidences close adherence to principle 4 of healthy place-making, which advises 'compact neighbourhoods' to maximise the health benefits of green infrastructure (NHS England, the TCPA, The King’s Fund, The Young Foundation, Public Health England and PA Consulting, 2019).
Figure 14) Annotated Map of Barton Park
However, despite the generous coverage of green and blue spaces in Barton Park, during our fieldwork we noticed several features that impinged on the quality of these spaces, thus compromising their effectiveness in promoting healthy behaviours among residents.
Research has shown that factors like safety, cleanliness, the location of green spaces and the availability of food shops closely correlate with how residents 'perceive' green space (Barlow, Lyons and Nolan, 2021). Ultimately, this affects the frequency with which they are used. As explained above, the locations of Barton Park's green spaces are largely concentrated in its linear park, impeding their integration into local communities.
Furthermore, as Figure 14 shows, there should have been more consideration for safety and inclusivity in some of Barton Park's green spaces. As well as the negative features described in this map, there were other barriers such as minimal lighting along the pathways of the linear park, with some parts secluded from clear view. This would likely disincentivise residents from using the park during late hours, partly due to the risk, real and perceived, of gender-based violence.
A Comparison with Elmsbrook
Like Barton Park, Elmsbrook's green spaces were easily accessible to the community, with green spaces located in each of the four phases of the new development.
Figure 15) Annotated Map of Elmsbrook.
Nevertheless, we observed several noticeable improvements in the qualities of green spaces in Elmsbrook compared to Barton Park. Generally, these spaces were cleaner and more inclusive. Furthermore, they were embedded into the residential infrastructure, which not only increased their accessibility but also made them appear safer.
There was also noticeably less traffic noise than in Barton Park, although this may change in the future as the development is expanded.
Social Infrastructure, Agency and Green Places
However, what was glaringly apparent across both communities was the lack of supportive social infrastructure, particularly food shops. This undermines the stated multifunctional nature of green spaces, as places where people can enjoy a locally-bought cup of tea or platter of sandwiches. Not only would the presence of local retail businesses augment the quality of green spaces, but also contribute to principle 6 of healthy-place making which references healthy eating, a key component of which is the availability of healthy food options (NHS England, the TCPA, The King’s Fund, The Young Foundation, Public Health England and PA Consulting, 2019).
Nevertheless, here Elmsbrook also has the advantage. A local centre is currently being built, dedicated to local businesses and the community (Figure 16). Furthermore, in the interim, Perch Eco Business Centre does host community events involving drinks and snacks. Elmsbrook also has several active Facebook groups, such as 'Elmsbrook Bicester Residents' and 'Elmsbrook Community Organisation', to promote community events, contrary to Barton Park. This shows the agency of individuals in forging social infrastructure where none existed previously.
Figure (16) Proposed plans for a local centre at Elmsbrook. @ADP Oxford: Elmsbrook Local Centre, Design and Access Statement, 2019. @GoogleMaps
Summary and Recommendations
Both the communities of Barton Park and Elmsbrook are impressive models of how urban development can be directed to promoting healthy behaviours among residents. The sheer availability of green spaces in these areas is certain to improve rates of physical activity and reduce social isolation.
However, green spaces tended to be of higher quality in Elmsbrook than in Barton Park. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, target 7, calls for 'inclusive and accessible' green spaces, 'in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities' (United Nations, 2015). In general, the Elmsbrook development is designed in closer accordance to this ideal. Spaces are more inclusive, safe and integrated into residential localities.
This matters because the existence of green spaces alone does not alone guarantee that they will significantly improve health outcomes among the population. Perception also matters. Therefore, the key recommendations that emerged from our fieldwork are:
- Planners must ensure that green spaces are integrated effectively among residences and build social infrastructure nearby to increase their use.
- The inclusivity and safety of green spaces should also be top priorities, which includes making them accessible for those with disabilities, adequate protection from risks like water submersion and electrocution, and clear visibility.
As a side note, it is worth noting that on both sites there needs to be more green and blue spaces tailored to adolescents, such as skateparks and swimming pools. This is essential to preventing boredom.
With some luck, the principles of healthy new towns will be incorporated into national planning frameworks in the future, to ensure that everyone has access to a healthy lifestyle.
References:
Barlow, P., Lyons, S. and Nolan, A. (2021). How Perceived Adequacy of Open Public Space Is Related to Objective Green Space and Individuals’ Opinions of Area-Level Quality, Sustainability, 13(15). Available at: Sustainability | Free Full-Text | How Perceived Adequacy of Open Public Space Is Related to Objective Green Space and Individuals’ Opinions of Area-Level Quality (mdpi.com)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2021). National Planning Policy Framework, The National Archives. Available at: [ARCHIVED CONTENT] (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Nguyen, P., Astell-Burt, T., Rahimi-Ardabili H., and Feng X. (2021). Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review, Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18/21. Available at: Green Space Quality and Health: A Systematic Review - PMC (nih.gov)
NHS England, the TCPA, The King’s Fund, The Young Foundation, Public Health England and PA Consulting (2019). Putting Health into Place: Principles 4-8, NHS England. Available at: Design, deliver and manage (england.nhs.uk)
Schüder, I. (2021). Making the case for investment in Green Infrastructure in Oxfordshire Policymaker summary, Oxfordshire County Council. Available at: Layout 1 (oxfordshire.gov.uk)
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (2017). An Analysis of Accessible Green Space Provision in Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire County Council. Available at: untitled (oxfordshire.gov.uk)
United Nations General Assembly (2015). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_70_1_E.pdf