Evaluating Community Co-Design, Maintenance and Ownership of Green Spaces in Underserved Communities Using Participatory Research

Abstract

Green space is beneficial for health, and the co-design of green spaces is vital to allow community input into their development and encourage their use. However, to date there is limited evidence about the most effective ways to ensure the co-design, maintenance and ownership of green spaces by communities over time. Participatory methods such as transect walks with photovoice offer an opportunity to explore these issues. This study describes an original participatory project in a deprived, multi-ethnic part of Bradford, UK, which aims to use innovative participatory methods to explore how the maintenance, co-design and ownership of green spaces affect their use for health benefits. Participatory methods will be used to explore local community perceptions of and satisfaction with their local green spaces. Three phases of data collection will be conducted in a longitudinal qualitative study spanning 3 years. Each phase will use transect walks with photovoice and semi-structured interviews (n= 24), and focus groups (participant n=40) in four green space locations in Bradford, UK.