Sustainable Lives
Once upon a time people could live highly sustainable lives in the countryside, working on the land, growing their own food and making all the things they needed at home - and some still do.
However, as individuals living in cities, towns and villages, most of us now have complicated lives that are dependent on other people and on the food supplies, services and products they provide. Many of the 'essentials' we need to keep us going have to be transported into our neighbourhoods over long distances and are often imported from other places around the world.
In the 1980s our consumerist view of the world economy was reinforced when Mrs Thatcher famously stated (1987) that "there is no such thing as society" and told us that "we must all look after ourselves". The present Government, whilst driving the growth agenda forward almost as forcefully as Mrs T until the present "credit crunch" slowed everyone down, has at least recognised that there is such a thing as "community" and "sustainability".
Planning, housing and built development are now regulated within the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the fundamental aim of Government planning policy is to create "sustainable communities". However, a precise definition of a sustainable community is hard to find.
The Government's aim is "to create great places where people want to live, work and raise a family..." Planning is said to be fundamental to this process and all plans and proposals should be tested to see whether they will make the community more or less sustainable in the long term. The CLG web-site says that "Our planning and building regulation involvement ensures that we get the right development, in the right place, at the right time. We also work to protect and enhance the environment through the planning system..."
On the CLG website you will find lots of useful information. Unfortunately much of it is written in complicated technical language and jargon that makes it hard for non-planners to understand. Another useful new web-site has been published by CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Though it is aimed at professionals and "city leaders" it provides technical guidance and examples of ways to make towns and cities more sustainable.
On the "Sustainability Appraisals" page we provide a straightforward guide that will help you to judge whether any development proposed for your area will be "the right development, in the right place, at the right time". This encourages you and/or your community group to consider whether a more sustainable form of development could lead to the growth of a more sustainable community.