Sustainable Communities
What are Sustainable Communities?
Sustainable Communities are places where people want to live and work now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to the environment and contribute to high-quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well-planned, built and run an offer quality of opportunities and good services to all.
For communities to be stable, they must offer:
- decent homes at prices people can afford
- good public transport
- schools
- hospitals
- shops and a
- clean, safe environment.
People also need open public spaces where they can relax and interact and the ability to have a say on the way they neighbourhood is run.
Sustainable communities are diverse, reflecting their local circumstances. No one size fits all but they should be:
- Active, inclusive and safe - Fair, tolerant and cohesive with a strong local culture and other shared community activities
- Well run - with effective and inclusive participation, representation and leadership
- Environmentally sensitive - providing places for people to live that are considerate of the environment
- Well-designed and built - featuring quality built and natural environment
- Well-connected - with good transport services and communication linking people to jobs, schools, health and other services
- Thriving - with a flourishing and diverse local economy
- Well served - with public, private, community and voluntary services that are appropriate to people's needs and accessible to all
- Fair for everyone - including those in other communities, now and in the future
Securing the Future (2005) , the Government’s sustainable development strategy, sets out the principles a policy should respect to be sustainable. These are:
- L iving within environmental limits;
- Ensuring a strong healthy and just society;
- Achieving a sustainable economy;
- Using sound science responsibly; and
- Promoting good governance.
The strategy recognises that some sustainable development policies, while underpinned by all five, will place more emphasis on certain principles than others. Any trade-offs should be made in a clear and transparent way.
E-mail: policy@dover.gov.uk
