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The Challenge

People want a decent home in a decent place. When asked what makes a good place to live, people give just as much importance to the wider neighbourhood as to their own house or flat. They say that a good neighbourhood has low levels of crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour, clean streets, good parks and open spaces, activities for teenagers and well-maintained roads and pavements. Poor neighbourhoods encourage people to leave and property prices to fall. New residents are reluctant to move in, and many of those who remain in the area feel trapped in a vicious circle.

One of the most important factors affecting the quality of life in any neighbourhood is how well its public spaces are managed and maintained. And by public spaces, we mean not only streets, pavements, car parks, play areas and green spaces but also houses, shop frontages and private gardens.

Emerging trends


MORI's report on liveability – Physical Capital: Liveability in 2005 – shows that public concerns about quality of life remained focused on street issues such as anti-social behaviour and environmental crime issues like litter, graffiti and teenagers hanging around on street corners. The report noted central and local government action to tackle these problems was helping to improve public perceptions, but further progress was necessary.

However, while there is still more to do, things are getting better. Government strategy to tackle poor housing conditions, improve local roads and raise the quality of public spaces is making a difference. These achievements have been recognised in recent reports, such as State of the English Cities (March 2006) which acknowledged the impact of government policies in making cities more liveable – particularly where public agencies have concentrated on elements directly related to the lives of residents. The National Audit Office value for money study on 'Enhancing Urban Green Spaces' which was published in March 2006, recognised the positive effect of the government's policies and programmes in halting the decline in our parks and green spaces.