It’s easy to believe that the only way to solve global challenges is via grand, global solutions.  It’s an easy assumption to make, but a recent study from the University of Exeter suggests it’s an incorrect one to make.

It suggests that the love we have for our local area can easily be tapped to help make a huge contribution to global environmental problems.  They explain that we often view parochialism in a purely negative sense, and regard it as little different to nimbyism in the insularity it exhibits.  It need not be thus however.

The researchers examined a mapping project begun in 1987 in the UK by the charity Common Ground, and found that the ecological concerns that the project unearthed in local communities persisted to the present day.

“The Parish Maps project was hugely popular at the time, but has been somewhat overlooked since it ended,” the researchers explain. “It led to a huge upswell in local environmentalism and the creation of thousands of maps across the UK and beyond. We argue that it represents parochialism without the negative connotations many people associate with that word.”

Groundswell of change

The analysis found no real evidence that the local nature of the project had any negative impact on participants, and certainly not in terms of increasing their insularity.  The authors suggest that it highlights that there need not be a conflict between caring for one’s local community and feeling connected to the wider world.

“For a long time, the consensus has been that if we want people to think about global issues they need a cosmopolitan world view—but this may not be the case,” the authors explain.  “Given where we are now in terms of trying to encourage people to make changes to help the environment, ‘positive parochialism’ offers something that has been overlooked.”

The researchers examined the archive materials associated with the project, including in-depth interviews conducted with participants who were involved in making local maps and examining the legacy of the project.

The analysis suggests that this particular project was a good example of what the researchers refer to as ‘positive parochialism’, with participants experiencing a boost to their commitment to the local community without subsequently retreating towards insularity.

The challenge, they suggest, is to harness the kind of engagement experienced through the project in other ventures to try and promote a wider interest and engagement in environmental policy and planning.

“Policy making puts a primacy on the rational. Unlike the Parish Maps, it overlooks emotional and creative ways of engaging with the environment,” they conclude.