“Living in a Communal Garden” Associated with Well-Being While Reducing Urban Sprawl by 40%: A Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study

Background The extent to which novel land-efficient neighborhood design can promote key health behaviors is examined, concentrating on communal outdoor space provision (COSP). Objectives To test whether a neighborhood (Accordia) with a higher ratio of communal to private outdoor space is associated with higher levels of resident’s (a) self-reported local health behaviors and (b) observed engagement in local health behaviors, compared to a matched neighborhood with lower proportion of COSP. Methods Health behaviors were examined via direct observation and postal survey. Bespoke observation codes and survey items represented key well-being behaviors including “connecting,” “keeping active,” “taking notice,” “keep learning,” and “giving.” The questionnaire was validated using psychometric analyses and observed behaviors were mapped in real-time. Results General pursuit of health behaviors was very similar in both areas but Accordia residents reported substantially greater levels of local activity. Validated testing of survey dataset (n = 256) showed support for a stronger Attitude to Neighborhood Life (connecting and giving locally) in Accordia and partial support of greater physical activity. Analyses of the behavior observation dataset (n = 7,298) support the self-reported findings. Mapped observations revealed a proliferation of activity within Accordia’s innovative outdoor hard spaces. Conclusion Representation is limited to upper-middle class UK groups. However, Accordia was found to promote health behaviors compared a traditional neighborhood that demands considerably more land area. The positive role of home zone streets, hard-standing and semi-civic space highlights the principle of quality as well as quantity. The findings should be considered as part of three forthcoming locally led UK garden cities, to be built before 2020.


Types of Communal Outdoor Space Provision (COSP)
Table 1 provides a summary of the types of setting identified within Accordia and Castle. Drawing upon previous UK planning guidance (PPG17) and Gehl (2006) criterion, nine types of COSP were used to categorise spaces within and nearby the two neighbourhoods. These categories were chosen as they were found to provide coverage of both green and urban outdoor spaces for most spaces encountered. Although PPG17 has been deleted within UK government guidance, the primary purpose categorisation of spaces was found to be useful to the health behavior approach adopted within the study. However, PPG17 was not found to be as useful in the case of urban and hardsurfaced space types. Table 1 shows eight of a possible nine PPG17 (2005) spaces, and one of a possible thirteen Gehl (2006) types used within the study. Each category was assigned on the basis of the observed primary purpose of the space, as well as key physical and social attributes. A rationale for each designation is provided within the right hand column of this table. Four additional types of space were also introduced to the list of nine. These included a) school/college playing fields; b) hard-standing; c) partial home zone and; d) semi-civic. Although the primary purpose of each of these spaces overlapped with other types, their physical (e.g. natural or hard-landscaped) and social (e.g. public or private) characteristics departed significantly and were therefore considered standalone COSP types.
The following provides a brief description of each: a) School/college playing fields. This space type is very similar to the PPG17 space named 'outdoor sports facilities'. However, the key distinction is that a space, such as a sports pitch, is used solely by students attending the associated educational establishment and not the general public.
b) Hard-standing. This type consists of a simple level area which may vary in size but, is usually concrete and highly suited to free-wheeling transport devices used by children and teenagers. The area may not have been designed for these purposes but has been re-appropriated as a space to be physically active and to socialise. c) Partial home zone. The concept of home zone is legally recognised in the UK. It has been used in reference to residential streets designed to be shared by pedestrians and vehicles, according to principles espoused by Dutch woonerfen (Royal Dutch Touring Club, 1977). Accordia includes several streets that adhere to some of these principles but not all. Consequently, this COSP type within Accordia is referred to as a partial home zone.
The home zones include a change in materials from the nearby streets. In Accordia block paving is used to gently vibrate cars as they drive into and through the home zone, to indicate a change in status and encourage slow driving. These spaces are narrower than traditional residential streets, making drivers more aware of their speed relative to immediate physical objects. The space is a vehicular route but walking, standing or playing is encouraged by using a surface without curbs, highlighting a more equal relationship between cars and people across the street. Finally, the home zones provide direct access between homes and the street, with either no front garden or small back yards.

d) Semi-civic.
This innovative space is found in Accordia and situated at the rear of family homes (townhouses), in two separate areas. They are relatively long and rectangular in shape, open on two sides and have low fences and small gates at either end. These semi-civic spaces therefore represent a similar concept to a traditional private courtyard but, are looked by the roads at either end. The spaces are furnished with a mixture of resin bound gravel, small pieces of play equipment, raised allotment beds with integrated seating and fruit trees. Although the spaces are privately owned, interview research found that them to be enjoyed (passively) by fellow residents. Children from various parts of the neighbourhood also shared the space with their peers.
In order to simplify results pertaining to types of COSP, the thirteen types were assigned to one of four over-arching categories: 1. Green Space; 2. Play and Sports; 3. Hard-civic and 4. Semi-civic. Accordia 12. Partial home zone*** Informal play, social and physical activities in residential streets designed to be shared by pedestrians and vehicles.

Semicivic
13. Semi-civic courtyard*** Informal play and social activities in a courtyard accessed privately at the rear of homes but is open on two sides and visually accessible to all members of the community.

Accordia
Note: *PPG17 **Gehl ***Novel Table 2 provides a breakdown of key descriptive socio-demographic statistics in Accordia and Castle. The data was obtained from the UK Office tor National Statistics (ONS) Output Area (OA) and Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) data for 2011. The OA level insights are representative of the wards in which Castle (Castle Ward) and Accordia (Trumpington) are situated. This information reflects a wider area than that depicted in the priori boundary (as depicted in section 2.1 of supplementary material) and is therefore not entirely representative of both specific areas. The LSOA boundary is smaller and offers a lower level of discrepancy. It can be seen that each of the statistics are the same or very similar in both areas. One person household LSOA 38% 35% Table 3 provides a summary of the non-COSP urban design characteristics of Accordia and Castle. It is shown that most parameters are close in size, or fulfill the same category assignment. The main exception is vehicular access, where Castle has five links and Accordia has just one. However, in both cases, the roads do not pass through either neighbourhood. Each area is therefore severed from their surroundings on two sides, rendering them both to be cul-de-sac in nature and not through routes. A 25% difference in the proportion of blocks that are perimeter blocks exists between the two areas. However, evidence to suggest that this parameter may influence health behaviours was not found and therefore not accounted for within analyses.  Table 4 depicts an overall summary of all primary and secondary activities observed in each neighbourhood. The table is divided into each of Three-Ways to Well-being and non Three-Ways. In each case, the coding category used in real-time is depicted in the adjacent column (activity subtype). Each code was assigned to a Three-Ways category on the basis of representing a means to pursue each of the Three-Ways (see section 2.5 in main text). All remainder observations were assigned to the non Three-Ways category.  Table 5 shows the 44 items that loaded on the seven-factor solution that was chosen using Factor Analysis, for the study. Within each factor, items are ordered with the highest loading items at the top and lowest loaders at the bottom of each set. The type of response option corresponding to each item is also shown. Further details of the psychometric analyses and the original list of 56 original items are to be published separately. Adv. = 5-point adverb based response option (never, rarely, sometimes, often always). T/B = 7-point time-based response option e.g. how often did you do the following in the past four weeks (never, once in the last 4 weeks, 2 to 3 times in last 4 weeks, once a week, 2 to 3 times per week, most days, every day).

Area calculations supporting reduced Urban Sprawl
These workings are based on a simple per-capita rate of outdoor space provision. Accordia affords 36m² per resident of Communal Outdoor Space Provision (COSP) and 6m² of Private Outdoor Space Provision (POSP) per resident. Castle provides 14m² of COSP and 56m² per resident of POSP.
Based on ONS (2011) census, an average household size of 2.3 persons per household is assumed in any new 15,000 home development. This would mean a new town or extension of this size would comprise of, on average, 34,500 residents (15,000 x 2.3).
A development based on Castle provision standards would therefore require 97 more hectares than a development based on Accordia standards (242-145= 97). This was translated into a percentage -40% more land area for outdoor space provision ((97 x 100)/242).

Distribution of COSP
Supplementary Figures 1 and 2 show the distribution of the various COSP types within and nearby Accordia and Castle, respectively. The red line represents a priori boundary that was defined in conjunction with local residents who attended a focus group in each area separately. This exercise involved group interview whereby an initial task was to discuss a redline boundary depicted on an A0 sized printout and included road names/landmarks.