Civic rewilding: Applying the lessons from Big Local

Over the last 15 years, Britain has been home to one of the world’s biggest ever experiments in restoring social capital. As Big Local comes to an end, Kinship Works have been working with Local Trust to help tell the story of the programme and the practice of rebuilding civic capacity and social capital. 

This paper brings together learning and insight from Big Local to answer the following questions: 

What did Big Local do?

Unlike a traditional policy intervention, Big Local was not designed to deliver a social outcome in a discrete or one-off fashion. The programme followed the philosophy that, with space and resources, communities can develop the capacity to improve social outcomes and bring about a healthier and more active society. 

How did Big Local do it?

Big Local funding created space, allowing communities to follow instincts that were different from the bureaucratic instincts of public institutions. Time and again, the work that happened locally was holistic, relational, resourceful, positive and preventative. It also tapped into community knowledge of local needs and assets. 

How should its lessons now be applied to the next generation of investment in places?

The report describes the civic renewal supported by initiatives like Big Local as analogous to rewilding in environmentalism; it is a way to bring out and spread processes that are organic and locally rooted. This work takes place in three distinct and complementary phases:

• Protecting local space 

• The community instinct 

• Deepening and spreading.

This is the final report from Kinship Works’ collaboration with Local Trust, following on from their interim working paper.