European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research - COST Action C11 INDEX

Greenstructure and Urban Planning - Case Study - Sheffield, UK Introduction This series of webpages has been put together for the COST C11 project by Anne R. Beer (2003). It is based on information provided by a very wide range of people and organisations working on greenspace issues in the Sheffield area as well as on the publications made available by the City for public use. Wherever possible the reader is directed to the original sources - as these web pages can only be a summary of a very complex set of problems and approaches. Unlike many other cities studied as part of this COST C11 project, Sheffield's problems in relation to greenspace do not have to do with a lack of greenspace or unstructured greenspace. Instead there is a richness and variety of space and of high quality landscape for the population to enjoy; this is enhanced by the wide range of habitats and landscapes found in the metropolitan area. The problem facing the city is to manage the rich resource with very limited budgets. In the west and south of Sheffield's built up urban area there are many high quality urban greenspaces. These contrast with many of those in the north and east which do not have the same richness and fail to enhance the local quality of life. These problem areas were developed mainly in the mid 20th century and characteristically have plenty of greenspace in terms of surface area but, mainly because the financial and manpower resources have never been available, have not been upgrade to create urban greenspaces and landscapes which enhance the quality of life or even support biodiversity. The City has identified these spaces as top priority for improvement and many are at present undergoing regeneration. A re-distribution of resources for greenspace has been underway in the last decade. This has involved a massive increase in work undertaken by the voluntary and non governmental sector on greenspace - see the report by Carolyn Harrison on Sheffield's greenspace policies. As a result there have been substantial improvements to many parks and greenspaces in the City in the past decade - particularly in the centre and the built-up area. This has made a very noticeable difference to the quality of life of Sheffield's residents. The City has been booming economically in recent years and the existing high quality greenspaces as well as those greenspaces which have been enhanced have helped to foster the successful frame of mind which has enabled this to happen. Contents Greenstructure and Urban Planning - Case Study - Sheffield, UK © Anne R. Beer - 2003 Background Landscape Geology and biodiversity Planning process Biodiversity in domestic gardens Greenspace policies Basic facts - Greenstructure history Historic gardens and parks Woodland Greenspace planning Botanical gardens Other UK greenstructure plans Sheffield Greenspace Atlas Statistics on Sheffield's greenspaces Sheffield Wildlife Trust Greenspaces of Stocksbridge District Sheffield Greenspace Management in Stocksbridge District Need for Greenstructure Planning in the UK See also Sheffield City's website on greenspaces All photographs are © Anne R. Beer, 2003 but users are free to download and use as they wish, with the proviso that the copyright is always acknowledged. Students may use the text as they wish provided they again acknowledge the sources of the text. To view the Case Studies of other cities click here Further information about some cities is available by clicking here

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