The Common is outdoors. It’s fresh air. It’s headspace. It’s nature. It’s green. It’s the dogs. It’s the sky. It’s alone time. It’s peace.
It’s the one space you can go and meet people from all walks of life. It's the democratisation of space. We should be promoting and doing more to protect spaces that represent social inclusion.
The conversations prescribing nature for a fairer, cleaner, greener urban city
The chance to get out and into nature provides much needed blue and green prescription. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of green and blue spaces in our cities and the positive effects it has on our well-being, particularly in times of crisis – but it also taught us not everyone has equal access.
Clapham Common sits within the top ten lowest London boroughs with accessible green space. A 2022 report by Lambeth council identified the borough as being diverse, mobile, densely populated where more than half of the population live in the 40 per cent most deprived areas in England.
These figures are relative to surrounding boroughs with a similar cosmopolitan make-up. According to data from Natural England and the Office for National Statistics, ethnically diverse communities and people living on low incomes are more likely to live in overcrowded, heavily built-up areas without accessible or high-quality wild places or parks. Although Lambeth is home to over 78 parks, alongside Commons and other open public spaces, a disproportionate number of high-quality parks are located in more affluent leafy areas, partly because house prices have risen, leaving many on lower-incomes priced out and displaced.
Dr Matilda van den Bosch who specialises in landscape planning and public health refers to this process as ‘green gentrification’.
A 2008 Lancet study found a direct link between income inequality, access to green space and life expectancy. So, it comes as no surprise that the groups who are often ‘locked out’ are more likely to suffer poorer health outcomes, with contributing factors including accessibility to quality green space and all its benefits. According to The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors this is further increased if you live in a BAME household – with black people in England four times less likely than white people to have no outdoor space at home.
The exclusion doesn’t stop there. If you live in Northern cities in England, you are likely to have less accessible green spaces than your Southern counterparts. Whilst London comes out on top compared to towns and cities across England, only half of all Londoners live within 400 metres of their nearest formally designated local open space.
Green activists across London have long campaigned for accessible spaces, including entry to locked and bolted open spaces, allowing privately owned, unused parks and shared gardens to become available, as well as advocating for protection of urban green spaces.
In 2021 protesters’ gathered at Clapham Common in an attempt to stop Lambeth Council fencing off a popular section of the green for commercial use. The group outlined the peaceful demonstrations as an attempt to highlight the lawful right to access.
It’s by no means an isolated issue, campaign groups such as Right to Roam fight to address the extreme disparities in land ownership of urban green spaces across England. The group hopes the right to roam legislation is expanded, bringing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to urban neighbourhoods.
Since lockdown restrictions in March 2020, issues around good practices, resources, accessibility, protection of urban green spaces and its roles in society have become central to the greener sustainable city conversation.
Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE said: “Our countryside and local green spaces are facing mounting pressure but the coronavirus pandemic has reminded us why the countryside next door, including our green belts, is so important to ordinary people.
“More people are aware of the health and wellbeing benefits that access to green spaces delivers and support for protecting and enhancing these after lockdown is impossible for the Government to ignore.
“Going back to business as usual is not an option. The Government must use the forthcoming planning reforms to protect these precious spaces and also go further by investing in their enhancement.”
The address was made following the Government’s climate advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, urged ministers to invest in the ‘green recovery’ after the pandemic, she stated: “As we look to rebuild after the crisis, we must make sure that we continue to cherish our communities and this new sense of connectedness – both to each other and to our local environment.”
So we asked visitors of Clapham Common if they felt connected to the space. How do they use the Common land? What does the Common mean to them post-COVID 19? What are their hopes for the future of the urban green spaces and what more should and could be done to protect our natural prescription?
“The Common means ‘meeting place’, but I want to say gentrified…not to be controversial.” – Sebastian
“I’ve lived in the area for 15 years and now that I have this little man, it means I can give him somewhere to run and burn off some energy… this is the place he gets to have a childhood.” – Dominic and little Freddie
“The Common is a life-giving, fun space.” – Natalie
“ I’ve never really thought about it. I spend a lot of time frequenting the Common, so it certainly plays a part in my daily ritual. I think to some extent it probably plays a part in many people's daily lives. It’s the one space you can go and meet people from all walks of life. It's the democratisation of space. We should be promoting and doing more to protect spaces that represent social inclusion.” – Andre
“The Common is outdoors. It’s fresh air. It’s headspace. It’s nature. It’s green. It’s the dogs. It’s the sky. It’s alone time. It’s peace.” – Hayley
“Because you don’t have a garden. It is nearly like your back garden…It probably makes more sense for a big group of people to have one big garden to connect with people and for sufficient space.” – Natalia’s guest
“Monday to Friday I come here for escapism, especially if you’re working from home and in that space, if it’s a sunny day or cloudy I definitely use it for the fresh air for sure.” – Natalia
“The Common is a safe place for the children and the dog. We live in a flat. We don’t have a garden, so it’s great we can wander up the road to the Common. It’s just a great space. During the pandemic we benefited from having the dog and being able to come here. It was a great social space to bump into people from our streets.” – Glen
“I personally think it's silly that laws of the land don't apply across rural areas and built-up environments, if they did London would have way more protected areas like the Common. I think universal protection is needed, if we're going to tackle green space.” – Louise
“We certainly need to protect Green Belts, but with a housing shortage I get it. People want to build on these spaces. Maybe there needs to be a way of rethinking what areas get protection.” – Hector
Because you don’t have a garden. It is nearly like your back garden… It probably makes more sense for a big group of people to have one big garden to connect with people and for sufficient space.
