Transforming Urban Greenspaces

Transforming Understanding and Responses to the Challenges of Urban greenspaces

Project summary

‘Innovation, Co-Governance and Democracy in Urban Greenspaces’ is a £118k British Academy funded project. It is led by Northumbria University in collaboration with Urban Green Newcastle (between 2023-2025), Newcastle City Council and other collaborative partners.

Through in-depth and comparative case study research and knowledge exchange, the  project will:

  • Explore and address democratic and sustainability challenges associated with three key pioneering innovations in UK urban greenspace provision. All of which involve either the transfer of park management from a local authority to a charity or a local authority working in close collaboration with a park foundation charity.
  • Offer new diagnostic tools, guidance, lesson drawing and support for successful governance and democratic performance of models of park management involving charities. 

Benefits and impacts of the project:

  • Empowering policy-makers, local authorities and charities to make effective and informed parks policy and implementation decisions at National and Local levels. 
  • Increased knowledge of new park management models, lessons, and good practice. 
  • Enhanced democratic voice, trust and performance in park decision-making in the UK. 
  • Increased collaboration and networking between policy-makers, practitioners and academics working on parks. 

Full project title

Innovation, Co-Governance and Democracy in Urban Greenspaces: Transforming Understanding and Responses to the Challenges

Project team

  • Dr Rachael Chapman – Assistant Professor in International Relations and Politics
  • Dr Ying-Chun (Nancy) Hou, Former Senior Research Assistant, now Postdoctoral Fellow at Cardiff University
  • Barbara Hooper, Former Director of Parks and Allotments at Urban Green Newcastle

Project highlights

Preliminary findings dissemination:

  • Successful Park Trust and Foundation Governance: Challenges, Pathways and Good Practice – Workshop, Dr Rachael Chapman, Newcastle: Northumbria University, 9th May 2025
  • Stakeholder Engagement in Newcastle’s Parks: Pathways and Good Practice – Workshop, Dr Rachael Chapman, Newcastle: Newcastle City Council, 18th June 2025
A tabletop covered with multicoloured post-it notes and pens. It is the result of a design brainstorm
Outcomes of a story-telling timeline session about past and present celebrations, struggles and systems in Newcastle upon Tyne's park management, and what should be carried forward into the future.

Note: This project is ongoing.

Partners and Sponsors

The British Academy logo - one of our collaborative research partners Newcastle City Council logo - one of our collaborative research partners Urban Green Newcastle logo - one of our collaborative research partners

Project classification

Project title is a Social Sciences project. It belongs to the following research cluster:

Want to put our research in YOUR world?

Staff in Humanities and Social Sciences at Northumbria University work with a wide variety of external institutions, organisations, and individuals and we are always keen to develop new partnerships and collaborations.

So, if you think there would be a benefit in working with us, or that our research expertise might be of use in your project or organisation, please get in touch to start the conversation.

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