Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

London becomes the world’s first national park city, committed to giving people access to nature

London becomes the world’s first national park city, committed to giving people access to nature

London has been officially designated the world’s first national park city, with a week-long festival of free outdoor events and a ceremony at City Hall to mark the occasion. What started as a grassroots movement, with support from hundreds of local community groups and experts in and around London, has inspired authorities to commit to ensuring that more than half the area of London remains green, that the natural environment is protected and that all residents have access to nature.

During the ceremony, London Mayor Sadiq Khan recalled how he took a break from his intensive mayoral election campaign in 2016 to walk along the banks of the River Wandle in south London with Daniel Raven-Ellison, self-styled “guerrilla geographer” and journalist with the National Geographic, who expounded on his vision of creating a national park city – a vision shared by community development and conservation groups around London. Khan was so taken by the idea that he incorporated it in his successful election manifesto.

ome have questioned whether a city can really resemble a national park, while others have opposed the idea altogether, suggesting that it will detract from the special status of national parks. But as an academic interested in the governance of national and urban parks, as well as an adviser to the National Park City Foundation, I feel that the values of a national park can be translated into an urban context, benefiting local people, as well as the environment.


A world first

The world’s first national park – Yellowstone National Park – was established in the US in 1872 as a “public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. The UK lagged behind somewhat, but by 1951 its first ten national parks had been designated as protected areas, following a lengthy campaign to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside and provide recreational opportunities for the public.

oday, national parks are still treasured assets – though austerity and inequality prevent many from enjoying them. Yet with more and more people moving to cities, there are clear benefits for urban communities to embrace the values of national parks, and to experience and preserve natural landscapes. Creating national park cities – in addition to traditional national parks – is one way to do this.

Alison Barnes, chief executive of the New Forest National Park and a trustee of the National Park City Foundation, holds that the UK’s national parks serve three purposes: to protect nature and cultural heritage, to help people enjoy and understand it, and to underpin the prosperity of communities.

Barnes thinks all this can be done in an urban setting as well. As she told me during an interview at the opening ceremony: “the national park city movement is … not undermining the protected landscapes that we have today – we need something on top of that to reconnect people with what national parks are all about.”


A city-wide strategy

As well as helping residents to reconnect with nature to benefit their health and well-being, authorities are turning London into a national park city as part of a city-wide environmental strategy, aimed at tackling urgent issues such as social exclusion, air quality and climate change.

The strategy outlines how London’s network of parks, green spaces, gardens, woodlands, rivers and wetlands will be planned, protected and managed to benefit all Londoners. It aims for at least half of the city’s area to remain green – currently, around 47% is, with “urban forests” such as Hampstead Heath and Highgate cemetery absorbing significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

The National Park City Foundation was created in 2017, to formalise the steering group of the movement, drive the ongoing development of London as a national park city and to inspire other cities around the world to follow suit. Practical steps already taken by the foundation include creating the London National Park City Maker Paper, which highlights examples of local community projects and aims to inspire the creation of many more.

Another practical initiative is the creation of a new London National Park City map, with the support of Ordnance Survey. This should help raise awareness among Londoners of the natural areas close to where they live, and inspire more walking trails and outdoor recreational activities.

In the UK, similar campaigns have been started in Glasgow and Newcastle. Abroad, other cities are watching closely. I listened on as the environment minister for South Australia declared, at the opening ceremony in London, that Adelaide is aiming to follow in London’s footsteps.

The launch of London as a national park city shows how a grassroots campaign with strong leadership can tap into the enormous energy and enthusiasm of citizens to make a difference. When local leaders listen and collaborate with citizens, amazing results can be achieved.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×