Genuinely sustainable communities, as defined by the Sustainability Shaper, are ‘productive, healthy, socially just and living within environmental limits’. This means taking a long term and integrated approach to community issues and delivering win-win-win outcomes for society, the economy and the environment on which we all depend.
Sustainable communities are the building blocks of a sustainable ‘one planet’ region – currently the average South West resident uses about 3 times their equitable share of global resources (see www.steppingforward.org.uk). Work to improve economic and social inclusion needs to be set within this wider context. Only an integrated approach will lead to genuinely sustainable communities.
Do YOU shape up? Are you...
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eveloping sustainability learning and skills?
Will your project/development support the community to develop/access learning and skills for sustainability?
Will it help to explore the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of sustainability with communities?
Will it support ‘systemic thinking’, professional skills and leadership required for sustainable solutions?
Will it support everyone in the community to develop key/basic skills to enable them to participate in the local community and society as a whole?
...improving physical and mental well-being?
Will your project/development maximise opportunities to promote the community’s physical and mental well-being through the promotion of healthy, balanced lifestyles?
Will it support/provide/integrate clean, safe and green environments?
Will it improve access to healthy, fresh, locally-sourced (and organic) food?
Will it improve access to recreational space, leisure activities and cultural opportunities?
Will it help communities to develop supportive and inclusive social networks and to care for the most vulnerable eg the elderly or long term sick?
Will it encourage employers to promote workforce well-being (eg through flexible working and access to recreation, healthy food, green space/biodiversity etc.)?
...improving equality in meeting basic needs?
Will your project/development help to tackle inequalities (prioritising those who are most in need) in access to decent, affordable, adaptable, sustainable and healthy housing?
Will it support improved (and low carbon) access to essential goods & services? Will promote and improve access to safe and satisfying employment/learning/leisure opportunities – particularly for the most deprived? Will it maximise the role/value of social enterprise by providing appropriate support to the voluntary and community sector?
Will the project ensure an equitable approach to equality and diversity is incorporated ie on age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation?
...being resource wise? Will your project/development support the local community to cut its overall consumption of natural resources?
Will consumption of natural resources be minimised throughout the project’s development and ongoing operation?
Will the project/development adopt/integrate high energy, water and resource efficiency measures/innovations and maximise its contribution to fuel poverty strategies?
Will it pursue an environmentally sensitive approach (eg enhancing local landscapes, built environment heritage etc)? Will it maximise the integration of local, renewable energy and/or support the community to generate its own renewable energy (providing a potential source of income)?
Will it support the community to minimise waste – following the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, repair and recycle?
Will your project/development help to prevent (or at least not worsen) local and global pollution?
Will it adopt a sustainable approach to all associated physical development? ie employ the highest standards of sustainable construction (see www.futurefoundations.co.uk) integrating: low carbon siting, resource efficiency measures, renewable energy (aiming for ‘carbon neutral development’ as per the standards of the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy), local sourcing of materials and labour, community involvement, healthy living and working spaces, climate change adaptation measures and ‘designing out’ crime
...supporting thriving low carbon economies?
Will the project/development boost the competitiveness of local businesses and the local economy by adopting/supporting a low carbon approach?
Will it support new business markets, enterprise and employment opportunities by encouraging low carbon innovations and approaches and other environmental technologies?
Will it ensure that the economic/employment opportunities generated are matched to local needs (particularly those of deprived groups) and developed in close consultation with communities including hard-to-reach groups? Will it support local farmers markets?
...reducing high carbon travel?
Will your project/development integrate/promote low carbon access/travel from planning and siting through to delivery? Will it integrate a sustainable transport plan which reduces the overall need for the community to travel?
Will it support/promote walking & cycling in the community?
Will it maximise the use of online and mobile services to reduce the need for high carbon travel?
Will it integrate local multi-service centres?
Will it support demand-responsive, low carbon public transport for the local community?
Will it work with local employers to support/promote flexible-/home-working and ICT innovations such as video-conferencing?
Will it explore the sustainability potential of local alternative fuels?
...using local and ethical goods & services?
Will the project/development support and promote locally and ethically sourced goods and services to boost our local economies and support people in other parts of the world?
Will it use local suppliers in the development and ongoing operations of the project?
Will it support local businesses/enterprises to maximise their potential? Will it help to establish/promote local procurement/supply chains and other ‘infrastructure’?
Will it support the informal community economy eg through LETs type schemes (see www.letslinkuk.net)?
...enhancing local distinctiveness and diversity including biodiversity? Will the project/development enhance local biodiversity and the natural environment?
Will it explore/celebrate local culture and heritage and the diversity of local people?
Will it enhance the distinctiveness and diversity of the local built environment and community spaces?
Will the project/development help the community to avoid living in a ‘clone town’ or ghost town? (see www.neweconomics.org)
Will the project/development support the Future Footprints (the South West’s sustainable tourism campaign) message of ‘Keep the South West special’ by encouraging visitors to ‘buy local’ and ‘see what’s on their doorstep’? (see www.futurefootprints.org.uk)
...helping everyone to join in public decision-making?
Will the project/development be supported by ongoing and creative community liaison to maximise community involvement and local creativity and expertise?
Will it support ongoing participation in community decision-making to foster citizenship and involve people in the solutions to local and global challenges? Will it involve local people in the challenge of creating a genuinely sustainable – ‘one planet’ – community and help to secure public ownership of the wider sustainability agenda?
Will it improve opportunities for community participation (particularly for excluded groups eg older people, young people, the disabled etc.) by building in flexible learning/employment/leisure opportunities and creating safe and attractive public spaces?
...taking a long term approach?
Will you think ahead, to the next 5 to 50 years and beyond, to consider what measures will make the project/development a long term, genuinely sustainable success?
Will it aim for lasting, integrating ‘win-win-win’ outcomes for the community, the local economy and the local and global environment?
Will your project/development take into account the needs of future generations including the necessity of mitigating and adapting to climate change?
Will it incorporate a clear, upfront definition of/vision for a genuinely sustainable community and a clear action plan for achieving this?
Will the project’s longevity be maximised by ensuring that the local capacity (‘structures’, skills and ownership) is in place for it to sustain beyond the life of the funding?
Will the community be supported to develop sustainability learning & skills and leadership?
Will the project/development integrate genuinely sustainable low carbon infrastructure now (rather than storing up upheaval and costs for the community in the future)?
