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When most people think of Birmingham, they often picture its industrial heritage, but there are more green spaces and parks here than in any other European city. From Sutton Park—one of the largest urban parks in Europe—to the secret roof garden on the Library of Birmingham, this city is full of gorgeous green spaces.
So, the Second City makes for an obvious choice to become the UK’s first Nature City. This new accreditation—from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Trust and Natural England—has honoured Birmingham for “putting nature and green infrastructure at the heart of their places and communities.”
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The city of Birmingham was highlighted due to the City Council’s work with local communities, groups, and environmental organisations, and national partners. This milestone recognises the city’s approach to embedding nature into everyday life, making green spaces more accessible, equitable, and central to urban planning.
“Through our 25-year City of Nature Plan, we’ve laid out a robust framework for transforming how nature is valued and integrated across Birmingham,” said Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport. “We’re really leading the way in creating and recovering urban nature and are one of the greenest cities in Europe.
Credit: Martineau Gardens
“We work with community groups like Birmingham Tree People to plant trees in inner city areas such as Alum Rock, and in partnership with the National Trust, we’ve developed pocket parks across neighbourhoods. These are small but impactful green spaces that bring nature to people’s doorsteps while supporting wellbeing, biodiversity, and community pride.”
On top of Birmingham’s new title, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have been named the first Nature Town. Meanwhile, the Nature Towns and Cities initiative has invested £15million in 40 towns and cities across the UK to improve and create accessible green spaces, streets and neighbourhoods—including £989,685 to address green deprivation across Coventry.
What is Birmingham’s City of Nature plan?
Birmingham’s ambitious City of Nature plan was approved by the Council in 2022. The main aim is to increase publicly accessible green spaces from 600 to 1,000 by 2047. But there are countless other initiatives, like fulfilling all Net Zero ambitions, ensuring at least one community garden in every ward, and educating children about nature. You can read more about that here.