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Sustainable Communities Agenda Paul Musgrave Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Action Team What is a sustainable community? A community which uses its resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are available for future generations. Such a community seeks improved public health and better quality of life for all its residents by limiting waste, preventing pollution, maximizing conservation and promoting efficiency, and developing local resources to enhance the local economy. Egan says: • Sustainable communities meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, their children and other users, contribute to a high quality of life and provide opportunity and choice. They achieve this in ways that make effective use of natural resources, enhance the environment, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengthen economic prosperity." Prescott said: • Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all Sustainable Communities • What they are – A better understanding of the sustainable communities agenda • Why they are important – A shared understanding ensuring clear and consistent messages • Our role – How we and our colleagues can contribute to its delivery Community is….. • • • • • • • An area that a significant number of people relate to Where they live – and possibly work Send their children to school Access a range of local services Everyday sporting and leisure activities Feel ‘at home’ An urban neighbourhood; a rural town or village Sustainability is…. • • • • A viable business project A viable service A sustainable community project Environmental sustainability = sustainable development • ‘Capable of carrying on’ – in all senses Sustainability is…. • • • • • • Built Environment? Natural Environment? Business? Health? Fair and equitable? Depends which angle you are coming from Thinking about you local area • Pick the 3 most important good points • Write in the 3 most significant bad points Sustainable communities offer people: • • • • • A decent home that they can afford A community in which they want to live and work The chance to develop their skills and interests Access to jobs and excellent services The chance to get engaged in their community and to make a difference Egan Wheel • • • • • • • • Active, inclusive and safe Thriving local economy Environmentally sensitive Fair for everyone Well run Well designed and built Well served Well connected Where to focus? • Danger of being compartmentalised • Business links to crime; to health; to transport etc • Workforce vulnerability to outside factors • Influencing the agenda minimises risk Why sustainable communities are important • • • • • • • Right circumstances for growth Cleaner, safer and greener Tackle disadvantage More responsive local services Better quality of life Encourage stability and cohesion Local empowerment Who creates sustainable communities? • No such thing as sustainable community activity? • LSPs – how inclusive is yours? • Elected Member development • Sustainable Communities and conflict resolution A room full of Rumsfelds • Today you cannot find all the answers • But you may now know where to begin asking questions • Knowing the unknowns is half the battle Sustainable Communities: A Thriving Economy? Frank Peck CRED, University of Cumbria In what sense “a sustainable economy”? • What would you say were the marks of a sustainable economy in Cumbria? How would you recognise it? In what sense “a sustainable economy”? • What Government said about this in 2005 – – – – THRIVING – with a flourishing and diverse local economy Sustainable communities feature: a wide range of jobs and training opportunities sufficient suitable land and buildings to support economic prosperity and change – dynamic job and business creation, with benefits for the local community – a strong business community with links into the wider economy – economically viable and attractive town centres Source: Securing the Future (2005) UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which businesses are capable of innovation and growth? – – – – Something to do with the ability of firms to compete and survive Innovative ideas about products (and processes) Connected to, and responsiveness, to global markets (Re)-integrated production systems – rapid innovation through integration of marketing -R&D - production functions – Capable of constant re-invention - Innovia Films example In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which viable businesses create employment for local people? – Because jobs put money in people’s pockets to sustain the – – – – community Jobs give people self-worth and financial security Maybe danger of “any jobs will do” Also - increasing number of people’s financial security does not depend directly on a job but the general logic of this argument seems hard to refute In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which viable businesses exercise their social responsibilities? – Businesses use resources in communities to make profit – Makes ethical sense to expect something for communities in return (other than wages and salaries) – Businesses need cooperation from communities to achieve their commercial objectives – Makes commercial sense to nurture communities - there is “enlightened self-interest” in this In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which viable businesses are aware of their carbon footprint and adopt sustainable practices? In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which businesses are locallyowned and controlled? In what sense a sustainable economy? • One in which businesses are able to benefit commercially from the need to address environmental issues? In what sense a sustainable economy? • All of these statements are relevant to sustainable communities but none hits the nail on the head in terms laid out by Egan • Egan Wheel – NB the economy and business needs are not given primacy in the centre of the diagram • A sustainable community is one in which businesses are one part of a socio-economic system that creates places where people can and want to live In what sense a sustainable economy? • Business surveys – what do businesses tend to complain about in Cumbria? What does this tell us about sustainable communities? • Businesses cannot survive divorced from the social and environmental processes that reproduce places • Businesses need to be parts of communities that create conditions to attract and retain key workers • that produce and reproduce skills and competencies • that meet the aspirations of people for self-fulfilment – education, health, leisure, sense of belonging In what sense a sustainable economy? • No single answer – need to look at the context because the meaning of a “sustainable economy” and “sustainable community” is the outcome of a complex social interaction at a local level that affect patterns of migration, housing, education, job search, retirement, business location, public investment ……. and places are unique • Montpellier phenomenon In what sense a sustainable economy? • Sustainable communities – what types of business might be best placed to contribute towards creating “places where people want to live and work” in 20 years time? – for Carlisle? – for West Cumbria and Energy Coast? – for rural communities in Cumbria? • What are we doing to create conditions to achieve this? • What else could we do? • Are there things we should stop doing? SHARING YOUR LEARNING Centre for Regional Economic Development Rationale • Key outcome: – “Enable key change agents to share information gained through CIEP Fusion with colleagues both within and across organisations” • Important to share learning to maximise benefits of Fusion programme throughout Cumbria How to Share Learning • Review information distributed at Fusion event • Identify what would be useful to colleagues • Consider the most effective methods of sharing learning Methods of Sharing Learning • Circulate information – Then hold a discussion session to consolidate learning • Develop some short, focused sessions • Slot for sharing learning at team meetings – Within own team / organisation – At partnership meetings • Applying knowledge / skills to a current project and working through with your team • Continue the learning Over to you… • Share your learning • Let Fusion know how you get on so we can all share learning better by: – Sending examples of effective practice to [email protected] so they can be circulated in the quarterly CIEP Fusion Newsletter and on the web-site (www.ciep.org.uk)