Enhancing Local Authorities Community Engagment: Co-designing & Prototyping Strategies for Carbon Emission Reduction.

Lead Research Organisation: University of St Andrews
Department Name: School of Geography and Geosciences

Abstract

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Description • The co-design process allowed universities, local authority, communities and NGOs to widely frame the issues, develop trust and relationships and participate in an iterative process to develop innovative and effective solutions.
• Local Authorities (LAs) are beginning to shift from service provision to enabling agencies. This alternative delivery mechanism will need to address high levels of community dependency, and maintain focus in disadvantaged areas.
• Building community resilience will facilitate their responses to different kinds of sustainability challenges and enable them to adapt to future environmental changes.
• LAs can tackle infrastructural barriers, such as transport and energy planning, that limit community responses to climate change mitigation.
• Whilst some communities have demonstrated remarkable abilities in climate change mitigation and sustainability action, others lack capacity. Education and resources will need to be focused especially on marginalised communities.
• The era of financial austerity threatens the resourcing of frontline LA staff to assist staff, but offers opportunities through carbon accounting, potential community income through renewable energy generation and increased cross sectoral work.
• A local authority is itself a form of community. Through this recognition, internal engagement and mobilisation can better prepare all staff to be aware and supportive of local communities' climate challenge activities.
Exploitation Route Policy brief
Sectors Education,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice

 
Description Capacity building of individuals within communities and local authorities who then took results further Policy within Fife Council to enhance community reduction of carbon emissions Conceptual across the learning for sustainability and governance areas of thinking
First Year Of Impact 2010
Sector Education,Environment
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic

 
Description Fife community plan
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact by focusing on climate change as a major issue yet highlighting paradoxical relationship with economic growth, this research partially contributed to framing of the community plan for fife
 
Description Dancing with new partners : developing novel research methods to establish and monitor impacts of user engagement in times of austerity
Amount £23,768 (GBP)
Organisation University of Southampton 
Department ESRC National Centre for Research Methods
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 10/2011 
End 05/2012
 
Description Dancing with new partners : developing novel research methods to establish and monitor impacts of user engagement in times of austerity
Amount £23,768 (GBP)
Organisation University of Southampton 
Department ESRC National Centre for Research Methods
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 10/2011 
End 05/2012
 
Description Designing the transition to sustainability : resourcing community resilience
Amount £24,900 (GBP)
Organisation Scottish Universities Insight Institute 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2011 
End 05/2012
 
Description Designing the transition to sustainability : resourcing community resilience
Amount £24,900 (GBP)
Organisation Scottish Universities Insight Institute 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2011 
End 05/2012
 
Description Talk to representatives at Sustainable Scotland Network (Local Authorities Scotland) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact talk sparked discussion and interest for other LAs to take forward collaboration with universities and projects

other reps wanted projects like this!
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description talk to Fife Council reps 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact talk shifted strategic direction within LA

discussion of community resilience in carbon task group; helped change scenario framing of community plan for Fife
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011