Visioning together: a partnership approach
Case study Guidance - 12-02-2025
How to work with partners to develop a strategic vision for nature, green space and communities.
Communities - Community engagement
©National Trust Images/Paul Harris
When nature is nearer, everyone wins. And everyone can play their part.
This guide is for teams looking to build on their existing approach to community management, setting out a three-part framework to create a shared vision.
Read on for visioning methods that bring teams and communities together in a more collaborative, inclusive way, to shape a better future for their local parks and green space.
Under each stage are participatory techniques, case studies and tips to help put diversity and equality at the heart of your plans.
If you prefer, you can download this guide via the button below.
Top tips before getting started
A great strategic vision grows from a well-defined problem statement. Start by pinpointing the opportunities and challenges for your green spaces, and set the direction to overcome them.
Visit BetterUp for more help writing your problem statement.
From clean air to birdsong, woodland to trees – in countless ways, nature in our towns and cities underpins healthier and happier lives.
To help realise these benefits, ask yourself at each stage of this framework:
- Who do you want to talk to?
- What do you want to discuss with them?
- What’s the best way to get the message to them?
Stage 1: start a conversation
A partnership approach should enable as many people as possible to feed into the strategic vision.
Here are some tried-and-tested methods to vision together at city or town scale. They draw out the big and small ways that nature supports healthier, happier lives in your community.
Use this insight to make the vision for green spaces and parks truly meaningful to your local area.
This stage may take up to six months, and end with a finished vision statement.
Top tips for stage 1
Tap into people’s emotions by asking how they might ‘feel safer’ outdoors or ‘spend more time in nature’.
At every touchpoint with your audience, show you are listening. Can you show how your vision will build on previous consultations?
Use local data to focus your visioning methods. Click here to take a look at the ONS demographic tool, it’s a great place to start.
Drip feed visioning ideas into your regular communications, such as newsletters, social media and website.
Ways to vision together
Click ‘Find out more’ on each of the tiles below to discover some suggested visioning methods to support stage 1.
Participatory visioning in action
Take a look at the case studies below to see how places have put other participatory visioning methods at stage 1 into action.
Maptionnaire Consultation in Edinburgh
Edinburgh City Council collected ideas and feedback to shape the future of their parks and green spaces. They used map-based surveys on Maptionnaire’s citizen engagement platform.
Read the case study
Birmingham’s Earth Stories
Birmingham City Council listened to five hundred people's stories of nature, to inform their 25-year City of Nature Plan. They explored people's childhood connections with nature, and asked what they would like for their children. They sought out marginalised voices through community outreach.
Discover Birmingham’s storyStage 2: plug the gap
Reach out to new networks in your area as part of the process.
Use data to look at the demographics of your place and map all the stakeholders around existing green space. This could include community builders, sport and health-focused networks.
The purpose is to help you spot gaps as to who is involved and align different strategic objectives.
Green spaces and local parks should be cherished by all who use them. Here are some ways to vision together with community partners and networks to make this happen.
Top tips for stage 2
Use data to show the mutual benefits to your stakeholders of access to quality green space.
The ONS census maps here can help to show where the need is greatest.
The People and Nature survey is a useful source of information about people’s attitudes towards the natural environment and its impact on wellbeing. Find out more about the People and Nature survey at this link.
Ways to vision together
Click ‘Find out more’ on each of the tiles below to discover some suggested visioning methods to support stage 2.
Participatory visioning in action
Take a look at the case studies below to see how places have put other participatory visioning methods at stage 2 into action.
Edinburgh’s Young Placechangers Toolkit
Edinburgh Council worked with Green space Scotland to inspire young people to make changes in their local community.
Read the case study
Islington Citizens Climate Panel
Islington Borough Council worked with a panel of 35 residents to imagine what a climate-resilient Islington could look like and how to get there. A team of experts were on hand throughout the six-month process, but the proposals and principles were led by the community.
More about the climate panelBirmingham City of Nature Alliance
Birmingham City Council launched the City of Nature Alliance to create a shared vision for green infrastructure across the city. All the members were already working in the sector, but the alliance created a shared vision, and ways of working. The Alliance is now helping to achieve the aims of the 25-year City of Nature Plan.
Discover the AllianceYoung Voices for Nature
RSPB, WWF and the National Trust brought 300 people aged 13 to 25 together, to tell their stories about supporting nature. There were skills workshops on storytelling, filmmaking and advocacy. The film produced about their vision was screened in cinemas.
Find out about Young VoicesStage 3: the big launch
A public launch or event can grow awareness and encourage more people to help make your vision a reality.
For it to resonate with a broad range of people, the vision should be easy to engage with. Try online polls and build a public mandate through established groups and elected members.
Be really clear on the purpose of people’s contributions to help manage expectations. If you’re asking for their thoughts, you’re ‘gathering information’. If you’re allowing people to bring forward their ideas on an equal platform, then you’re ‘deciding together’.
Top tips for stage 3
Put your vision online to increase visibility.
Reflect multiple voices in the narrative.
Consider non-traditional venues for in-person events e.g. recreational venues like an ice-rink or even a yurt!
Ways to vision together
Click ‘Find out more’ on each of the tiles below to discover some suggested visioning methods to support stage 3.
Participatory visioning in action
Take a look at the case studies below to see how places have put other participatory visioning methods at stage 3 into action.
People’s Plan for Nature
WWF, the RSPB and the National Trust crowdsourced opinions from 30,000 people on the best ways to make change.
Read the case study
Groundwork Northern Network programme
Groundwork supports community groups to co-create Green Community Hubs, building community leadership at the neighbourhood level and creating a network of peer-to-peer support.
More about the programmeOpen Space Standards Toolkit
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Future Parks Project, in partnership with Fenland District Council, set out recommended steps for local authorities to develop open space standards. The toolkit includes learnings around public engagement.
Read the toolkit