Creating a Sustainable Built Environment through Education and Collaboration

University of Ulster: 8th May 2013

The Importance of Collaboration in Achieving Sustainable Development

Professor Peter RobertsVice Chairman

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Introduction and Structure• There is little really new about sustainable

development in terms of fundamentals • Essential to define sustainable development at

the outset:• What is it?• What can it achieve?• What form will it take?• How can it be implemented?

• How to translate sustainable development through a place-based approach

• Sectoral and spatial dimensions• Actions and resources• The Sustainable Communities model

• Institutions, actors and individuals – inter and intra-organisation dimensions

• Partnership and collaboration• Some case study illustrations• Summary and conclusions

Sustainable Development: Antecedents• This is an idea and an ideal with a long history. • Ebenezer Howard’s “social city” encapsulated many of

the elements of sustainable development, such as “pro-municipal work” in order to develop and implement what we now call sustainable places.

• Patrick Geddes viewed the city as a product of the interaction between “nature” (environment), “economics” and “the people” (society) articulated through civic education and active engagement.

• Artur Glikson’s term “human environment” described what he called “the space which surrounds human movement, work, habitation, rest and interaction”.

• By the 1960’s these items were beginning to be seen as important in the wider debates on development and growth and the limits to growth – the Club of Rome report was very influential in framing the subsequent debate.

Sustainable Development: Definition• There are many definitions (or interpretations)

of sustainable development, but the only universally accepted one is Brundtland’s “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

• This definition has three primary components:• Environmental• Social• Economic

• And two elements of application:• Intra-generational equity• Inter-generational equity

• In considering the application of these components and elements it is also essential to consider politics and implementation

Sustainable Development: Key Considerations• What is it? – it is the integrated consideration of the

environmental, social and economic dimensions of development – this is essential in order to avoid creating inequity or undesired “burdens”

• What can it achieve? – through a comprehensive and integrated approach the intended outcome is an informed and understood “balanced” decision which reflects immediate and long-term considerations

• What form will it take: - whatever form is desired and appropriate eg. a sectoral action, a city strategy, an investment programme – the very essence of sustainable development is that there is no “one-size-fits-all”, but there are guiding principles and shared objectives.

• How can it be implemented? – through applying the principles and shared objectives to individual decisions as well as strategies and long-term plans.

Sustainable Development and Place• It is essential to consider sustainable development in relation

to place

Environmental Component

Intra-generationalInter-generational

EquityEquity

PlaceEconomic Component

Social Component

Politics and Implementation

A Place-Based Approach• This is the essence of a sustainable built environment• Three main aspects and considerations:

• It is essential to intermesh spatial and sectoral dimensions through the development and implementation of strategies

• But strategy alone will not deliver a sustainable built environment, it is also essential to align actions and resources

• The above considerations have driven the development of the Sustainable Communities approach – this is sustainable development for places

Sustainable Communities• A whole of place, whole of time, whole of community

approach that works across sectors and between places:• Sustainable Communities model has eight basic components:

Active, inclusive and safe Well run Environmentally sensitive Well designed and built Well connected Thriving Well served Fair for everyone And an extra essential component - placemaking

• By definition, the Sustainable Communities model involves a wide range of people and organisations collaborating through formal partnerships and territorial coalitions

Institutions, Actors and Individuals• Important to consider both inter-institutional

and intra-institutional elements – in large public (or private) organisations different departments don’t always collaborate

• Actors in the built environment range from major public and private bodies to small community-based organisations and individuals – they all have a legitimate “voice”

• Essential to consider the role of the individual as a citizen and as a stakeholder – the role of individuals is frequently ignored by professionals and this can hinder long-term community “ownership”

• Democratic legitimacy and accountability are important because interventions in the built environment frequently involve public interests and goods – government and governance are essential considerations in order to ensure that the public interest is best served

Partnership and Collaboration• In the past (when funding was readily

available) some partnerships reflected the “temporary suspension of mutual loathing in pursuit of public funding”

• But nowadays partnerships and collaborations have to be much more meaningful, deeper and permanent, but they don’t have to be legal or formal entities

• Some key characteristics of partnership and collaboration:

Need for strategic agreement, plan and objectives – these create certainty and confidence

Role of rules of engagement – equal partners and the allocation of responsibilities

Belonging is as important as leading – shared leadership helps with delivery and generating trust

Data and resource pooling – immediate and succession planning are equally important

Short-term structures and long-term capacity building – area-based, multi-purpose collaboration works best

Need to go beyond short-term professional intervention in order to ensure long-term management

Some case study illustrations 1• These are illustrations and reflect the

principles and good practice of collaboration – they are NOT “one-size-fits-all” models

• Beautiful North – “not an organisation – a movement”North Liverpool – an area subject to a massive

range of environment interventions over a fifty year period

Most recently an abandoned Housing Market Renewal Area programme – voids, abandonment, dereliction, deprivation, degraded environment and social distress

Wide collaboration – Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Housing Trust, Merseyside Police, Everton FC, Liverpool FC, Aurora Media, Liverpool Mutual Homes, Plus Dane, Tesco and many more

Ten principles – delivery led, collaboration not competition, willing partners, mandated leaders, asks and offers, participation not consultation, multi-agency teams, no budget, positive place marketing, less on running and more on doing

Some Case Study Illustrations 2• Stewartstown Road Project – not just a

partnership but a coming together of opposing communitiesWest Belfast – an interface area subject to

distrust, violence and confrontationInitial joint working between Northern Ireland

Housing Executive and Suffolk Community Forum, this then extended to Lenadoon Community Forum and also involved Belfast Interface Project

Extensive collaboration – both community forums, Belfast City Council, NIHE, International Fund for Ireland, EU Peace Fund, Lidl, Mivan Development and others

Principles of working – regenerate and revitalise, create and manage an attractive and vibrant environment, generate a secure place, enhance social and economic development, provide commercial and retail facilities, promote cross-community working and trust, equal partners

Some Case Study Illustrations 3• Resurgam Trust – a development trust that embraces

community and other partners to deliver youth, social, economic and physical development.

• Broadly based partnership structure which encourages collaboration from central and local government, agencies, community organisations and others in Lisburn and beyond.

• Engages in regeneration activities including built environment, social enterprise, training, wellbeing, youth, senior citizen, children and families and other projects.

• Keen to extend collaboration to include community – to – community mentoring and support.

Conclusions and Guiding Principles• Partnership and collaboration have now

become essential elements of the policy and practice landscape

• In an era of austerity it is even more essential to collaborate in order to: create a shared vision, agree actions and outputs, co-ordinate activities and pool resources – the partnership is more than the sum of the parts.

Leadership is essential, but this must be mandated from the grass root and has to be shared throughout the collaboration.

Collaboration should be about much more than an individual project or just the built environment, it should be area-wide, inclusive and lasting.

Some partners will require time and assistance in order to develop capacity – this is essential to ensure effective succession and progression and can be enhanced through training and mentoring.