The project concentrates on particular themes and moments identified and selected by the community partners. Themes to be explored may include:
- Evidence about the incidence and fear of crime, vandalism and sexual disorder during daylight and night time hours, the impact of youth subcultures and how various rituals and behaviours have challenged civic authorities.
- Different civic and communal identities that have been expressed over time in rituals, festivals and fairs, including the Goose Fair on the Forest.
- How particular historical moments and crises such as the Depression and the Second World War (and the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign) affected the use of the green spaces.
- How recent and contemporary conflicts concerning green spaces have impacted upon the City including tensions between sport, recreation and preservation, the environmentalist movement to protect green spaces, and community reactions to perceived threats such as traffic, pollution, crime and drug use, the decline of parks through competitive tendering and emasculation of local government and local government financing, and the creation of the Nottingham tram system.