Changing uses, perception and pressures on urban commons: a case study of Town Moor in Newcastle upon Tyne

Commons were traditionally attached to many settlements in Britain but in a lot of cities have since been lost to urbanisation. Extensive areas of commons have survived in several English cities including Town Moor in Newcastle upon Tyne. Such urban commons have been less studied than their rural counterparts, but are important sites for the surrounding large urban populations. A mixture of textual analysis, ethnographic observations and interviews were used to investigate the current and historic uses, pressures and perceptions of Town Moor. Uses and perceptions of urban commons appear to be highly varied, with high levels of awareness of individual sites and high valuation of these for their ecological, recreational, historical, and landscape characteristics. Awareness of what are commons and the rights and ownerships which goes with these is patchy and in many cases incorrect; this does not however affect the overall high valuation given to local urban commons. Individual benefits and positive perceptions are important to the long term positive management and survival of urban commons.