future communities
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Future Communities. Seminar 1: Wellbeing and belonging in new communities 1 October 2010. Designing in social sustainability New thinkpiece Practitioner toolkit. New partnership with Malmö , Sweden Exploring potential partnerships in China, Thailand & Australia. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Future Communities
Seminar 1: Wellbeing and belonging in new communities
1 October 2010
Slide 2 The Young Foundation 2010
Slide 3 The Young Foundation 2010
Designing in social sustainability
•New thinkpiece•Practitioner toolkit
Slide 4 The Young Foundation 2010
New partnership with Malmö, Sweden
Exploring potential partnerships in China, Thailand & Australia
Slide 5 The Young Foundation 2010
What makes new cities and communities socially sustainable?
SIX in the City, Singapore
Today’s discussion
• What do we mean by belonging and wellbeing?
• Why do they matter in new communities?• What are the practical implications for
our work?
Social infrastructu
reSocial &
cultural life
Voice & influence
Space to grow
Slide 8 The Young Foundation 2010
•Need for services and support, not just buildings•Early provision is crucial•Lack of social infrastructure affects community wellbeing•Identity and reputation
Social infrastructure
Slide 9 The Young Foundation 2010
Voice & influence• Giving voice and influence at the planning stage
• Shaping opportunities for influence
• Maintaining structures and initiatives for the long term
Slide 10 The Young Foundation 2010
Space to grow• New communities evolve slowly as social networks develop & populations age & shift• Master-planning needs to be flexible and adaptable• New communities need flexible use of land & buildings• Informal spaces & temporary uses should be encouraged• Local engagement & governance structures also need time to develop
Slide 11 The Young Foundation 2010
• Community identity & belonging• Tolerance, respect, engagement • Pro-social behaviour• Good design supporting social life
Social and cultural life
What makes us feel we belong?NationalGovernance of Britain• National identity and
shared values – i.e. liberal, secular, democratic
Collective• Wider networks – ‘Familiar
strangers’ • Where you are versus
where you are from • Profession/ethnicity/
religion/social class/school/university
Individual• Family/ Friends• Hometown – where you’re
from
NationalShared values and national identity
Collectiveneighbourhood/ local social
institutions
IndividualBelonging as
identity/ family/ where you're from
Feedback circuits
Family&friends
Power&politics
Economy
Religion and voluntary orgs
Home, neighbourhood &
physical environment
Slide 14 The Young Foundation 2010
•Contact between neighbours and neighbourhood empowerment has the potential to improve resident wellbeing
• Wellbeing focus in community engagement policies, spatial planning and new housing developments, would place greater emphasis on social networks and belonging
The myth of neighbourliness?
Slide 16 The Young Foundation 2010
Ideal neighbouring has three common aspects• Awareness of
situation of other residents
• Respect for their privacy
• Readiness to take action if help is needed
Modern-day neighbouring
Slide 17 The Young Foundation 2010
Why belonging matters
•Takes time for local social networks to evolve•Often tensions between newly arrived and established communities•Shapes experience of public realm, perceptions of safety and fear of crime•Issues for stability, housing management•People that can leave, will leave
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“… where these facilities were already in place when people began to arrive, the community came together and networks were formed more easily.”
CLG, New Towns Review, 2006
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“ … planning for hard infrastructure alone would never build a community … it would only be done by a matrix of formal and informal opportunities or supported activities.”
Cambridgeshire PCT (2007)
Cambourne, New Town Blues
Slide 20 The Young Foundation 2010
Three factors necessary for sense of community:
1. Length of residence2. Local character3. A shared common history
Michael Young, New Earswick
Small things matter – so does timing
Making connections – “weak ties”
• Greeters: idea from the New Towns• Micro-grants: help to get neighbourhood
activities started – toddler groups, dog socialising, exercise classes, street parties
• Places to meet: community houses, temporary spaces
• Lots and lots of information sources … newsletters, coffee mornings, hyper-local websites
Early interventions
Start to establish norms
Strengthening networks
• Timebanking: promoting mutual exchange and self sufficiency/sustainability
• Community champions: active residents who can advise and give out information to newcomers
• Local engagement opportunities – connections to power: community councils, residents associations, volunteering
• Celebrating culture: “people like me” – festivals and events
Small things matter – so does timingCommunity capacity
Building networks, local identity and opportunities
Feedback circuits
Family&friends
Power&politics
Economy
Religion and voluntary orgs
Home, neighbourhood &
physical environment
Slide 24 The Young Foundation 2010
Afternoon workshop
•How are these feedback circuits working locally?•Which are the most important in your area?•Which circuits can you influence?
Slide 25 The Young Foundation 2010
Saffron [email protected]
www.futurecommunitiesneveragain.wordpress.comwww.futurecommunities.net
Slide 26 The Young Foundation 2010
About the Young FoundationThe Young Foundation brings together insight, innovation and entrepreneurship to meet social needs.
We have a 55-year track record of success with ventures such as the Open University, Which?, the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Healthline (the precursor of NHS Direct).
We work across the UK and internationally – carrying out research, influencing policy, creating new organisations and supporting others to do the same, often with imaginative uses of new technology.
www.youngfoundation.org