Greening “the Heart of England”—Redemptive Science, Citizenship, and “Symbol of Hope for the Nation”

Abstract

Within the context of contemporary global environmental concerns the National Forest builds upon culturally specific interpretations of nature to construct a new national landscape of unprecedented scale for the next millennium. As a creative rather than solely a conservationist strategy, its ambitious multipurpose ideals link closely with broader political, scientific, and popular debates on economic investment, social improvement, and environmental enhancement. In this apaper we explore the nature — society relations which underpin the Forest vision. These are examined by reference to the planning design with its supposedly radical approach to environmental transformation; the distinctive environmental aesthetic including the ecological principles and cultural designs on which it is based; and the forms of participation on which this aesthetic depends, notably the emphasis placed upon partnership from international to local scales and, building on Agenda 21, the promotion of environmental citizenship. We examine the meanings of participation in practice and their links with flexibility, accountability, and control. The changing relations between participation, professional knowledge, and power are also explored, together with the implications for citizenship.