The UN estimates that today’s urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to 5 billion by 2030. At the other end, one billion people currently live in slum settlements with poor sanitation and access to healthcare and education. That number will double by 2030. The need to create living spaces that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable and takes into account population growth, migration, and climate change is one of the biggest challenges in this century.
To society’s advantage, much is known about creating new settlements: architecture shapes social behaviour, high quality and well maintained public spaces influence perceptions of personal safety, and methods to design out crime. However, many new settlements result in unfulfilled aspirations and disappointment. What is known is difficult to put into practice and it is generally challenging to build cohesive, flourishing, and inclusive communities.
What’s Not Working
Future Communities, a program by the Young Foundation, released the report Design for Social Sustainability to present the case that above economic and environmental considerations, building communities that are socially sustainable is just as important. The failure of doing so results in high social and financial costs.
For example, communities built in the past decades without the right social infrastructures spread several nations: Cabrini-Green in Chicago, Park Hill in Sheffield, and the outskirts of Paris. Some are undergoing redevelopment and others have been turned around through intensive effort and high public costs.
In China and Egypt, new communities outside existing urban centres are being developed to attract new residents, but are quickly becoming ghost towns as they lack amenities and social infrastructures. In Chenggong of Southern China, new apartments, new government buildings, new university campuses, and a new light rail system has been built, but there are no residents. The same mistakes are being repeated. Efforts to rebuild will result in long periods of redevelopment that hinder a community’s ability to fully develop social networks – a contributing factor to isolation and mental health problems.
The Proposed Solution
What is clear is that environmentally and economically sound living spaces are only part of the factors for building new communities. The Young Foundation has introduced a framework of four elements essential to creating successful and sustainable communities in the long term:
1) Amenities and Social Infrastructure
This type of infrastructure needs to be in place early in the life of a new community, ideally before new residents move in. It refers to the concept of “walking distance communities” with schools, nursery and childcare, safe and well-lit open spaces, good transport and communications connections, shops, sporting facilities, and community centres. There is strong correlation between the quality of social infrastructures and the wellbeing of new residents.
2) Social and Cultural Life
For residents to feel secure, foster a sense of belonging, and form attachment where they live, there is an important role for government to work with local people to create the social and cultural infrastructures needed to achieve that. The quality of relationships between residents can be strengthened in a number of practical ways: local events, street parties, public meetings, and community planning work.
In the UK, time banking is an effective approach to enhancing social and cultural life. People can earn credits by engaging in community and public service activities which they can “bank” and put towards “buying” other services, such as community café, internet services, language classes, live music events, or bus travel.
3) Voice and Influence
Local communities should be involved in decisions throughout the stages of development to eliminate distress among residents when their expectations are unmet. In addition, consideration of neighbouring communities can minimize resistance, planning objections, delays, and hostility to new residents.
4) Space to Grow
For a new community to be successful and sustainable, the physical space, housing stock and amenities, as well as social infrastructure need to be able to adapt over the change in new needs over time.
A Look Ahead
Moving ahead, more work needs to be done on what social sustainability means for particular communities and how its effectiveness will be measured. At minimum, analysis will be needed to determine various costs and benefits, problems that may arise from neglecting investments in supporting social life, and ways to maintain social infrastructures, where one idea is to involve local social enterprises.
For the full report, visit http://www.futurecommunities.net/files/images/Design_for_Social_Sustainability_0.pdf.