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Middlesbrough Urban Growing

Middlesbrough

Process

Strong partnership

The initial concept, based on the ‘design of a process’ that could tackle local sustainable development and public health concerns, has been enthusiastically picked up by local partners, subsequently the successful delivery of the Town Meal concept meant that:

  • Middlesbrough Council played a key role in the transition from a design idea delivered through a pilot project to a mainstream activity.
  • Third-sector organisations and the local primary care trust were able to form a strong partnership.
  • The devolution of specific roles to named organisations - such as the grow-zones to Groundwork South Tees - enabled clear lines of accountability to be established.

A project-led approach

The project represents a different approach to green infrastructure - ‘project-led’ rather than ‘strategy-led’.

While the project may not have set out to increase multi-functionality, this occurred through land-use diversification - ie: establishing the grow-zones, involving the communities not normally associated with use of green space in its management, creating of new food coops and allotment sites...

The project has used mass public participation to give local people a better understanding of their use of the local environment.

The townwide programme totals £8.8M, of which £4.1M will come from the Healthy Community Challenge Fund in addition to other match sources. This is a major sum with transformational potential, which has captured high-level support. The HCCF themes also mean that urban farming can integrate with other multi-functional aspects of public space, notably physical environment improvements for recreation and green exercise.

Good dissemination

The project is well documented via the Urban Farming and Town Meal Project Manual. In addition:

  • the HCCF project uses social marketing techniques developed in the NHS and elsewhere to achieve specific behavioural goals such as long-term changes to lifestyle
  • an evaluation framework for the HCCF project will be run in conjunction with Teesside University’s Centre for Food, Physical Activity and Obesity. Public participation in the urban farming project will be an overall project outcome.

The project has an action learning component, which will benefit its evolution and those wishing to develop a similar approach. For example, the third town meal will be held after Ramadan in 2009 to facilitate the involvement of Middlesbrough’s Muslim community, following feedback from 2008.