The future of sustainable communities

The desire to create places which offer high quality of life and contribute to national and global sustainable development principles has emerged over the last few decades as a focus for government policy and community action. Drawing on inter-disciplinary research conducted across UK universities and with community-based groups, this book offers insights into how local initiatives can enhance sustainable development and engage people in creating better places in which to live. It illustrates imaginative, practical and accessible ways in which communities and built-environment professionals are working and learning together towards a more sustainable future. It shows how such learning can result in more inclusive and desirable places to live, both for the residents of today and for future generations. Drawing on the experiences of nine locally based examples from across the UK, it brings together elements of debates as diverse as sustainable development, education, community coherence and conflict resolution, planning and environmental management.