Community involvement in the restoration of historic urban parks : with a specific focus on the Heritage Lottery Fund's Urban Parks Programme grant-aided park restoration projects.

摘要

Community involvement is nowadays commonly recognised as an integral part of anyudsuccessful environmental planning, development and regeneration process. Focusing on audselection of park restoration projects grant-aided by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in 1997udunder the Urban Parks Programme (UPP), this research aimed primarily to investigate theudinvolvement of local communities in the process of regenerating run-down historic urbanudparks. The study adopted a triangulation methodology which combined both quantitative andudqualitative research approaches and employed multiple data-collecting techniques including audpostal questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and on-site park userudsurveys.udThe results of the postal questionnaire survey reveal that park restoration partnerships betweenudlocal authorities, private sector, voluntary organisations and local community-based groupsudcan commonly be observed in many of the historic urban park restoration projects funded byudthe HLF under the UPP. Local authorities in general played the leading role in forming andudrunning park restoration partnerships and they were the major contributors to the matchedudfunding and the required technical support for the restoration projects. The involvement ofudfriends groups and other local organisations in park restoration partnerships was relativelyudmoderate, but the case studies of this research demonstrate that friends groups and other localudorganisations can have a more substantial influence on the overall development of theudrestoration project when the park restoration partnership is formally established.udThe study has found that local communities have been extensively involved in the restorationudprocess of historic urban parks. The two most significant objectives of engaging localudcommunities in regenerating run-down historic urban parks are to generate a sense ofudownership of the restoration project and its outcome and to better reflect local needs. Localudcommunities tend to be more involved at early stages of the restoration project than at laterudstages. The methods that have been commonly used to involve local communities are mainlyudfor information giving and consultation.udThe seven in-depth case studies reveal that 'Friends of Parks' groups are in general the focus ofudcommunity involvement in the UPP funded park restoration projects. 'Friends of Parks'udgroups can act as pressure groups, guardians and/or supporters of the park and to be the localudcommunity's voice. They can make considerable contributions to the regeneration of theirudlocal parks, mainly in the areas of publicity, park events and activities, fund raising, public udconsultation, project monitoring, involving school children, and the ongoing management ofudthe restored park.udThe most important contributory factor to effective community involvement is a goodudrelationship between the local authority and the 'Friends of Parks' groups, which can beudachieved mainly by establishing friends groups' trust in the local authority's commitment toudcaring for urban parks and taking on board the friends groups' views and concerns. Projectudmanagers and other practitioners engaged in involving local communities in park restorationudprocesses as well as executive members of 'Friends of Parks' groups are all required to haveudgood communication skills in order to achieve effective community involvement.