It’s time to think about the ways to go wild in your 20-minute neighbourhood

The hunt is on to find connections between us and the green spaces and animals living near our homes, writes May East

People are motivated to protect, restore and regenerate places with which they feel a warm connection. I have observed this in recent research while conducting walking interviews with women from five Scottish city neighbourhoods aspiring to become 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Based on evidence that 20 minutes is the upper limit of time most people are willing to walk to meet their daily needs, there have been sustained attempts by localencourage net-zero 20- minute neighbourhoods.

Withinthe 20-minutes perimeter, residents engage in social, learning, leisure and cultural activities. ideally, the concept combines the localisation of economy, encouragement of active travel and natural surveillance performed by the “eyes of the community” – all framed within a developing sense of identity, belonging and mutual care.

But how do we we ave the concept of urban re wilding into the 20- minute vision?

How to make existing green spaces“less tidy” while restoring the area to a wild er, less cultivated state, was a recurrent theme during my walking interviews. A participant from Portobello shared her experience of creating willow tunnels and planting wild flowers with kids, who experienced a strong sense of nature connection and participation in Figgate Park. Another suggested promoting a combination of wild meadows and orchards, encouraging natural growth and harvesting, not only for humans but for birds, bees and insects. A group of volunteers and “wildlife spotters” from york hill green spacesin glasgow have been improving the wild flower meadows of York hill park and compiling a biodiversity inventory now expanded to 1,174 species.

Urban rewilding is a disputed notion which often refers to the science-based restoration of self regulating ecosystems and a transformation in human-nature relationships.

Some ways to include living syste ms in our urban lives may include photography, storytelling, poetry, art, adventurous treks, green gyms or facilitated nature walks. It is hoped that identification with urban woods, parks, sea, shore and animals of 20-minute neighbourhoods could result in deeper respect and care.

Regarding the integration of green spaces into urban planning, my interview participants wanted to extend a network of meandering “fresh air routes” connecting green spaces in their neighbourhoods; and even to extend the routes into the buildings by including the design of green roof son bus stops, buildings and living wall son façades.

The potential of integrating the concept of rewilding into 20-minute neighbourhoods is immense. From providing food and habitats for wildlife and enhancing green corridors to link fragments of nature in the neighbourhood, to enabling people to develop stronger connections, recognise nature’s importance and feel a kinship with the natural world.

Rewilding 20-minute areas could also reduce the costs of green space management-as-usual practices such as mowing, weeding and pesticides.

Furthermore, the capture and storage of rain water by trees, reduction of city pollution and sequestration of carbon in the atmosphere can make areas more resilient to flooding or heat waves.

Within the fence d-off way ofcity services, urban re wilding is an important conversation subject for“the departments” within the local authority. Perhaps this can happen under a multistakeholder umbrella that could be named “Rewilding 20-minute Neighbourhoods” charged with creating conditions for wildlife to thrive, where the diversity of species evolves rather than devolves, and where the interconnectedness of the humans and our fellow species can be experienced by all