About London National Park City
London National Park City is the long-term grassroots movement for everyone making our city greener, healthier, and wilder.
London became the world’s first National Park City in July 2019, the culmination of a grassroots campaign which all began when a group of friends and colleagues got together and asked “What if we imagined our city as National Park City?”
London National Park City is a vibrant and active convenor of practical grassroots and community-led action to support local nature recovery in neighbourhoods across the capital.
Our Charity, The National Park City Foundation (1173267) coordinates and supports our grassroots movement across London, to deliver the shared commitments and ambition outlined in the Charter for London National Park City. We celebrate and support the work of thousands of individuals and organisations actively making London greener, healthier and wilder.
We attract, recruit, empower, and support a diverse community of volunteer Rangers within every London Borough capable of supporting communities and making their neighbourhoods greener, healthier and wilder.
In doing so our aim is to make our city a place where people and nature are better connected, by building the capacity, reach, resource, skills and confidence of our volunteer Ranger community in every London neighbourhood.
Discover a whole landscape
London National Park City is about the whole place and landscape, taking into account all of the human and non-human activity across each of London’s 33 Boroughs, encompassing the green belt, the watersheds of the 41 rivers across London, and the 49.7% of London that can be classed as green and blue space.
As a National Park City, London has taken the lead in helping to connect people in cities with nature. This is especially urgent, because the climate and biodiversity crises are significantly driven by people’s disconnection from nature, especially in cities.
The National Park City story helps us to recognise just how valuable, important and significant urban ecosystems can be.
When people and communities are connected with nature, they are more likely to exhibit pro-environmental behaviours and take action to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. Re-connecting people and nature is therefore a crucial and timely intervention
Our aim is to grow a generous, active, participatory, community of empowered citizens, each of whom is capable of leading nature and biodiversity enhancing activities within their own communities, working with other Rangers, and supporting the local groups they work with.
Led by the grassroots
In line with the diverse and broad commitments set out in our co-created Charter for London National Park City, we’ve been able to show how a creative, culture and neighbourhood led approach is so important in learning from and the rich diversity of communities across the capital.
Our small staff team and dedicated Trustees work with hundreds of volunteers to support practical urban greening activities and explore how best to reach and engage people with nature through art, sport, and culture. We’re led by the priorities of our Rangers who are best placed to identify and undertake the most valuable projects for their local area.
We continue to extend our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we explicitly operate as an anti-racist organisation, and each year contribute to the RACE Report which seeks to address the under-representation of minority ethnic people in the environmental sector, and to improve how we represent the communities we serve.
We’ve set the stage for a broader and deeper partnership for London National Park City expanding the effectiveness and value of our volunteer Ranger community, working with community partners and local authorities in key London Boroughs, and more explicitly sharpening our focus around engaging the public in Local Nature Recovery within their own communities.
Whilst there is much to celebrate in how the London National Park City story has helped provide a narrative bridge connecting many different communities and initiatives across the city, there is much more to be done. Our rivers remain polluted, we’re losing our front gardens at a frightening rate, too many communities lack access to good-quality green space, our parks are woefully underfunded, and the urgent demands of housing provision too often put existing biodiversity and nature at risk.
By taking part in our movement you can help make our city greener, healthier, and wilder!
Charter of the London National Park City
The Charter of the London National Park City sets out the shared ambition for how we can reconnect every Londoner with urban nature, supporting communities to recognise their place within their natural environment and join in with helping it thrive.
Our Charter is a long-term achievable vision setting what we can do by working, learning, sharing and acting together, across communities, governments, and businesses.
Our Charter is the blueprint we use to help guide us towards a city where people and nature are better connected, and where every neighbourhood is greener, healthier, and wilder.
Meet the team
Introducing the amazing group of Staff and volunteer Trustees who are passionate about supporting London as the world’s first National Park City.
Work with Us
Jobs and opportunities to work with the London National Park City and jobs with our partners across London and elsewhere.
How we're funded
We’re grateful to the many funders who support London National Park City, helping us to shape our unique grassroots movement as an individual, community group or business – all celebrating the work of hundreds of organisations and individuals across London.
The National Park City Foundation, is the registered charity (no. 1173267) behind the London National Park City, and steward of the global movement supporting other cities all around the world on their journey to join London and Adelaide towards becoming National Park Cities.
How we created the worlds first national park city
The First Five Years
London became the world’s first National Park City in July 2019, launched by the National Park City Foundation with the support of the Mayor of London and 260 partner organisations. Here you can find out about the National Park City Foundation, the charity supporting National Park Cities around the world. You’ll meet our team, find out how to volunteer, and work with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a National Park City?
A National Park City is a place, a vision and a city-wide community that is acting together to make life better for people, places and nature. A defining feature is the widespread commitment to act so people, culture and nature work together to provide a better foundation for life and so we can enjoy ourselves too.
National Park Cities are long-term, large-scale, hyper- local, personal and intergenerational. Everyone in a National Park City has the potential to contribute and benefit every day. Any urban area or region can apply to join the National Park City Family. But only cities can achieve National Park City status.
Is London a National Park?
London National Park City is not the same as a National Park, but we are part of the wider family. National Parks are defined differently around the world. They are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and can enjoy and develop ourselves. Combining the long-term and large-scale vision of National Parks with cities has the potential to shift our collective understanding of what and who a city is for. So National Park Cities are not National Parks. But they are inspired by them.
What is the National Park City Foundation?
The National Park City Foundation is the charity behind National Park Cities, established in 2017 to facilitate and oversee the London National Park City Partnership. London became the first of these in summer 2019, with Adelaide becoming the second in 2021. Having successfully campaigned to secure London and Adelaide’s National Park City status, the Foundation wants to bring the idea of National Park Cities to life all around the world.
When did London become a National Park City?
London became the world’s first National Park City in July 2019; this followed four years of campaigning, after which it was confirmed on 9th February 2018 that sufficient political support had been achieved to make London a National Park City. The launch was supported by over 260 organisations, with a public launch incorporating over 300 events across London, and a ceremony isn City Hall with the Mayor of London and National Park City partners signing the Charter of the London National Park City.
Is the London National Park City led by the Mayor of London?
No, London National Park City is an independent grassroots movement supported by and representing dozens of large and small organisations across London. We do not receive direct financial support from the Mayor, GLA or any Government organisation.
We were delighted to have the support of the Mayor of London and each of the Mayoral candidates at the time of launch in 2019. The Mayor championed the National Park City in the 2019 London Environment Strategy, and committed to manifesto policies aligned with ours including matching our target of making 50% of London physically green. The Mayor’s team led coordination and promotion of the first London National Park City Week in 2019, with hundreds of events taking place across the capital.
The Mayor of London has show great leadership on the National Park City, but the Greater London Authority is just one of over 9 million potential leaders in the capital. We hope that many people, groups and organisations will take inspiration from the London National Park City and take leadership in their own places.
What is the London National Park City Partnership?
The London National Park City Partnership was intended to comprise groups and organisations that are working together to make the London National Park City successful and to improve life in the city. The London National Park City Partnership should comprise groups and organisations drawn from a much larger collaborative network, giving leadership and direction to the London National Park City; who together should be responsible for delivering the State of the National Park City report and more.
What does the London National Park City do?
We actively help promote the hundreds of active campaigns, organisations and local groups who are doing inspiring work collectively across our cities to get more people outdoors, and bring the outdoors to more people – improving the health and wellbeing of thousands of people.
We help people to take the lead in improving their own communities, supported by our growing community of volunteer Rangers, delivered in neighbourhoods and green spaces across the city in three ways:
- Celebrating the world’s first National Park City, promoting the work of the hundreds of grassroots and community groups leading on practical climate and biodiversity action.
- Growing our diverse community of 100+ volunteer Rangers who run community gardens, deliver conservation work, lead outdoor activities, improve nature engagement, walks, talks, health and wellbeing activity in their own communities.
- Working collaboratively with London Boroughs, to connect individuals, families, educators, community leaders, campaigners, cultural and arts groups, with nature.
Can you summarise the aims?
The London National Park City works with residents, visitors and partners to:
- Enjoy London’s great outdoors more
- Make the city greener, healthier and wilder
- Promote London’s identity as a National Park City.
Our vision is to make cities where people, places and nature are better connected. We want to make National Park Cities that are rich with nature and where everyone benefits from exploring, playing and learning outdoors. Cities where we all enjoy high quality public and green spaces, where the air is clean to breathe and it’s a pleasure to swim in their waters. Together we can make cities greener, healthier, fairer and more harmonious places to live. Why not?
How is London National Park City funded?
The National Park City Foundation is an independent charity and we do not receive financial support from any level of government.
Instead we’re entirely funded by individual donations from ordinary Londoners and businesses, along with income we secure from contract income, grants and foundations. So we really do rely on your support to make London greener, healthier and wilder.
What is the London National Park City Charter?
The Charter of the London National Park City is a short document that sets out our Partnership’s vision, aims, values and an action plan. While some of it will be set in stone, the action plan will be updated on a regular basis by the Partnership’s members. Individuals and small community groups as well as larger organisations will be able to influence both the action plan and other sections of the Charter.
The original London National Park City proposal included a draft Charter, which was followed by the first Charter of the London National Park City which is shorter and designed so that anyone can pick it up and see how they can both contribute to and benefit from the National Park City.
What is the State of the National Park City Report?
London National Park City is committed to producing a State of the National Park City Report on a regular basis that will be the way to track our collective progress toward achieving the collective goals of our partnership.
This report will be used to inform the London National Park City Partnership’s progress, decision making and activities. The next State of the National Park City Report is scheduled to be delivered in time for our 5th anniversary in July 2021.
It will include an overview of London National Park City after 5 years, perspectives from the partners who support London National Park City and may include representative data covering:
- Air and water quality
- Water management
- Biodiversity and bio-abundance
- Volunteering
- Local food growing
- Walking, cycling, kayaking and active travel
- People’s connection to nature
- Outdoor learning in schools
- Key physical health outcomes
- Key mental health outcomes
- Investment and employment in National Park City related ventures
- Community engagement with the National Park City related activities
- Funding leveraged for related sectors
How does London National Park City benefit my area?
The London National Park City will be made successful by leadership at a local level. May it be on a balcony, in a garden, on your street, park, rooftop or local river, we can all be leaders in improving London’s environment and getting more people outdoors and connected to nature. So do take inspiration from London becoming a National Park City and start doing things to make your local area better.
Our growing community is made up of London’s existing dynamic and diverse organisations, making it easier for you to enjoy getting outdoors and giving you more choice of activities and locations. Each London borough and ward has a distinctive character which can be developed further by those who live, work and play in it – some have waterways or woodlands to explore, others green spaces, or the opportunity to develop green roofs, micro-parks or urban farming. It will also create new sustainable business opportunities as companies and people make the most of the area’s improved natural assets and resources.
How does London National Park City affect building, especially housing?
London will continue to grow, develop and be a dynamic city with local councils and the Mayor of London using their formal planning powers to decide what gets built, where and how.
Being a National Park City presents the opportunity to create and construct green infrastructure and services, creating the more sustainable future London and Londoners need. Creating quality new affordable housing is a priority in London. Being a National Park City will encourage the creation of more sustainable, better connected, denser, greener, higher quality housing in London with more cohesive communities and networks and with a stronger and greener sense of place.
Read more about our position on planning and development.
What planning powers does the London National Park City have?
None, directly.
London being a National Park City does not bring the kind of planning powers the UK’s other National Parks have. London National Park City would not directly control development or prepare planning policies. These powers would remain with the Greater London Authority, the 32 London boroughs, and the City of London Corporation. Being a National Park City will not add another layer of bureaucracy to decision-making in London.
As the Mayor of London and most local council wards support the London National Park City, they may choose to use their planning policies to support our shared aims. A good example of this is an aim we share with the Mayor’s target to make 50% of London physically green by 2050.
OK, sounds good! How can I be kept up to date? Is there more I can do?
London National Park City is made up from all the individual contributions of people, groups and communities in every Borough. We have lots of ideas for things to make and do where you are, and you can find out about groups you can join (or start yourself) and events planned over the next few months.
You can visit us at our pop-up Visitors Centre at 109 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AB. Our live public experiment to explore how everyone can benefit and contribute every day in realising a city where all Londoners can connect with urban nature. We’re open to the public during weekday afternoons and by appointment.
Join our free online community for everyone who wants to make London greener, healthier and wilder. Connect, celebrate, discover, take part, and learn all about London National Park City from your peers.
Sign up to find out how you can help make London healthier, wilder and greener and have some fun along the way.
Find ways to get involved, volunteer some time, or come along to one of the many events happening all across London.