A new website aimed at stakeholders in building new sustainable communities has been launched by the Young Foundation and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The Futurecommunities site is focussed on on community participation and explores how new developments can become socially, economically and environmentally sustainable if resident involvement and engagement are built into the process from the very earliest stages.
Nicola Bacon, Local Projects Director from the Young Foundation said “traditional views about how to build a sustainable community stress the importance of structures and services. While important, we need to pay more attention to the role of social networks, myths and stories, and the less tangible elements that bond communities together. We must learn from past experience to build successful communities that underpin opportunity and wellbeing for their residents”.
The new site follows a growing trend of better tenant involvement in the development of housing projects. Last week the Chief Executive of the Tenant Services Authority called on social housing landlords to “focus more” on their tenants and better involve them in decisions about the services they use.
