all credits: Newstart Magazine
1st July 2010

Experts believe neighbourhood partnerships are the best way to bring about the improvements needed to improve quality of life and safeguard towns and cities against climate change.

A new report from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) says a neighbourhood-based approach is the most cost-effective way to upgrade local infrastructure.

The future is local: empowering communities to improve their neighbourhoods calls on government to support multi-disciplinary partnerships of communities, local authorities, infrastructure owners and financial and technical partners.

Empowering communities to deliver – whether it be home energy efficiency programmes or transport initiatives – will, it says, save money, strengthen communities and avoid disruption.

It cites the Sanford Housing Cooperative in southeast London and Blacon in Cheshire as examples of communities working on integrated programmes of improvement.

In Blacon a community trust has reduced carbon and brought new jobs and investment into the area.

‘Communities all over the UK are already finding that working together is the best way to make things happen, and enjoying the social, financial and practical benefits along the way,’ said Stewart Davies, business commissioner at the SDC.

‘In our current economic climate supporting a neighbourhood partnership approach is the best way for government to ensure that our villages, towns and cities are in good shape to meet the challenges of the 21st century.’