Community-driven, Crowdfunded climate action: Unlocking placemaking and net zero progress in UK cities

Here are some recent examples from Spacehive’s platform that illustrate just some of the creative ways that communities are coming together to assist the drive towards net zero:

Revitalising Green Spaces

In Newcastle, residents rallied to transform a rundown alleyway into a vibrant pocket park dubbed ’Byker Blooms’. Funds raised by the crowd were used to purchase native plants, planters, and benches, all centered around sustainability. The project became a catalyst for neighbourhood connection and showcased how low-carbon interventions can improve liveability and wellbeing.

Community-Owned Renewable Energy 

The residents of Ampney Crucis in the Cotswolds came together to fund solar panels for their village hall. This project is reducing the hall’s energy costs, providing a return on investment and demonstrating the potential of community ownership in the transition to renewable energy.

Restoring Natural Assets for Climate Resilience

In West London, "Rejuvenate Chiswick Eyot" is working to restore a Thames island back to ecological health. Through scrub clearance, tree planting, and habitat creation, residents are not only enhancing biodiversity but also strengthening the area’s natural defences against climate impacts like flooding and heat stress.

Unlocking local climate action

Beyond their immediate outcomes, these examples highlight several ways  that community-led climate initiatives drive positive change:

Enhanced placemaking: Low carbon projects aren’t solely about infrastructure. They enhance aesthetics, promote biodiversity, provide gathering spaces, foster pride in the local environment, and contribute to the ’feel-good’ factor that underpins desirable neighbourhoods.

Social impact: Engaging residents in climate action empowers them, creates a sense of shared purpose, bridges divides, and promotes long-term stewardship of the local area. Projects that support skills development or target underrepresented groups foster further inclusivity.

Economic benefits: Locally sourced materials and businesses involved in these projects boost the local economy. Increased investment from councils and grant bodies spurred by local crowdfunding successes creates a virtuous cycle.

Accelerating net zero: Projects like solar installations, improved energy efficiency, and nature-based solutions directly reduce carbon emissions; however, a critical contribution comes from influencing behaviour. Successful community projects act as ’demonstrators’, inspiring residents and showcasing ways to reduce their own environmental footprint.

How Spacehive empowers and enables community action

The impact of these community-led interventions extends beyond their local environments. Cities serve as laboratories for solutions and successes replicated nationwide. When working in symbiosis with both local government and the business community, locally-led projects help to shape the broader national agenda. They can spark policy changes, influence infrastructure planning, and reshape how larger, top-down climate goals can be met in meaningful, tangible ways. 

Community driven, crowdfunded climate action isn’t a ’nice to have’ - it’s a powerful way to enhance placemaking, improve social conditions, and meet shared net zero ambitions. At Spacehive we’re witnessing first hand how the passion and commitment of local residents drives change, turning everyday places into greener, healthier, and more vibrant communities. The key lies in providing the resources, structures, and the belief that local people can be transformative leaders in tackling the climate crisis. 

Frank Kibble is partnership director at Spacehive

Our Cities, placemaking, living and the net zero challenge programme is supported by E.ON, Equans and Mears.