Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Cultivating the Value of Community Engagement and Social Innovation Dr Alex Franklin Sustainable Places Research Institute Cardiff University UK

Sustainable City-Regions Environmental Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement SocialEconomic

Environmental SocialEconomic Physical Planning and Technological solutions Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement Sustainable City-Regions

Environmental Social Economic Physical Planning and Technological solutions Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement Sustainable City-Regions

Community Engagement and Social Innovation Environmental SocialEconomic Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Planning for Sustainable City-Regions Government/ Public Sector Community Groups, Third Sector and Civil Society Private sector Business Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Planning for Sustainable City-Regions Government/ Public Sector Community Groups, Third Sector and Civil Society Private sector Business Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Planning for Sustainable City-Regions Government/ Public Sector Community Groups, Third Sector and Civil Society Private sector Business Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Why engage community groups? - Need for greater understanding of individual choices, lifestyles followed, but also the social networks in which people are enrolled - Scaling-up: the need to stimulate pro-environmental behaviour change at both the individual and community level -Complexity – multiple communities, multiple needs, multiple interests Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Why engage community groups? - Value of local knowledge and existing social networks - Community groups as sites of innovation - Community groups as extremely active in pushing the sustainability agenda forward at the local scale -Need for an integrated approach Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Planning for Sustainable City-Regions Cities Villages/ Towns Rural Space/ agricultural land Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Planning for Sustainable City-Regions Energy Housing Transport Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement Water Waste Food

Towards Sustainable communities – Community Housing Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Co-ordination of travel - Towards Sustainable Transport Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Co-ordination of local food supply chains - Towards Sustainable Food Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Towards Sustainable communities – Community Land Trusts Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Towards Sustainable communities – Green Buildings and Homes Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

How to engage whole communities? - The value of local knowledge: Local people know best what needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area (UK Sustainable Communities Act. 2007) - The value of lay as well as professional knowledge Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

How to engage whole communities? In addition to specific skills, stronger generic skills, knowledge and training will prove essential. Including: - project management- inclusive visioning - leadership- process management - stakeholder management- conflict resolution - customer awareness- analysis - team and partnership working (Egan 2004) Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

How to engage whole communities? Key behaviours: -creativity -strategic thinking -being open to change -awareness of assumptions -flexibility -entrepreneurialism -co-operation (Egan 2004) Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Conclusions: community engagement and social innovation -Consider how the various members and sectors of community can be engaged and motivated to participate in delivering strategies, actions and activities within their own community -Consider how community and third sector groups can be encouraged to work with the public sector in order that a series of initiatives can be scaled-up -Identify key sustainability issues (for example, food, transport, energy, waste) which can be used as a focal point to stimulate activity -Identify significant individuals/ groups who will be able to encourage participation of others and act as intermediaries between the community and government departments Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

Conclusions: community engagement and social innovation - Examine the demands likely to be placed on existing skills and knowledge base of public sector employees to make progress towards sustainable city-regions through a community engagement informed approach -Identify opportunities to incorporate community sustainability initiatives in local development strategies - Review how community groups can best be supported to address any current skills and expertise deficits, and ask the right questions to determine their future sustainability requirements Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement

THANK YOU! Acknowledgement: All of the case study examples of social innovation used in the presentation are sourced from Stroud, England. Their energy and dedication to sustainable place making, and the time they have given to Cardiff University researchers since initial contact was made in 2007, deserves special acknowledgement. Dr Alex Franklin Sustainable Places Research Institute Cardiff University UK Planning for Sustainable City-Regions: Community Engagement