Local to Regional Sustainability Forum

Sustainability South West (SSW) in association with the Local Sustainability Group South West (LSGSW), runs an annual ‘Local to Regional Sustainability Forum’ event.

Achieving Genuinely Sustainable, Resilient Communities

6th March, Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare

The 3rd annual Local to Regional Sustainability Forum took place on 6th March 2008 at the Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare. This year's theme was: 'Achieving Genuinely Sustainable, Resilient Communities'. Event powerpoints and workshop notes are available in the downloads section below.

The event was for local leaders, planners, officers and regeneration agencies seeking to deliver genuinely sustainable communities, with a particular focus on urban growth areas and the role of greenspace.

The event aimed to:

Promote a better understanding of the wider roles/ways of working between the local/sub-regional delivery organisations and regional strategic bodies.
Provide an opportunity for sub-regional/local sustainable development practitioners to make comments/raise issues with strategic regional bodies.
Provide an opportunity for strategic regional bodies to raise awareness of strategic issues/initiatives with local practitioners and specifically to identify perceived barriers and solutions to adopting a more integrated, genuinely sustainable approach.

This year's speakers included:

• George Ferguson (Acanthus, Ferguson and Mann Architects): keynote speaker, on the reality of developing genuinely sustainable, resilient communities
• Keith Budden (Be Birmingham, Birmingham LSP): on Birmingham’s approach to applying environmental sustainability as a cross-cutting principle across their LAA
• Gary Mantle (Wiltshire Strategic Board Executive): on how local partnerships can contribute to sustainable communities
• Sandra Rothwell (South West Regional Development Agency): on the RDA’s approach to building resilient sustainable communities
• Leslie Watson (Sustainability South West): on emerging best practice with the region’s local authorities and on the role of urban greenspace in the wider sustainability context
• Naresh Giangrande (Transition Towns): on urban greenspace – the key to our sustainable, resilient future
• Jochen Rabe (Arup): on European and Asian urban greenspace examples – what the region can learn

See the downloads section below for the full programme for 2008.

Two events have previously been held, the first themed on 'Delivering Sustainable Development in the South West' (March 2006) and the second on 'Inspiring Sustainable Communities…for Real' (March 2007).

Our first event provided an opportunity for local and regional practitioners across sectors to share their perspectives on the reality of delivering sustainable development. The second was a one day interactive seminar for local leaders and officers seeking to deliver genuinely sustainable communities.

The Local to Regional Sustainability Forum events are run in accordance to the Government Office for the South West’s Greener Events Guide (click here to view the guide) with financial support gratefully received from DEFRA. See links below for further details of events, including powerpoint presentations and event reports.

2008 Downloads

2008 Local to Regional Sustainability Forum: Achieving Genuinely Sustainable, Resilient Communities programme, 6th March

Introduction to Sustainable Communities Sustainability Shaper Module

Checklist for Sustainable Communities and Regeneration

Sustainability Shaper Checklist Self-Assessment sheet

Guidance on Integrating Sustainability into SCS, LAAs and LSPs

LSP Members Sustainability Shaper sheet

Planting Places workshop notes

Sustainability Shaper Sightings

2008 Delegate List

Local to Regional Sustainability Forum 2008: Achieving Genuinely Sustainable, Resilient Communities Speaker Presentations:

Huw Lloyd Jones (Government Office for the South West): ‘National Expectations for Achieving Sustainable Outcomes through Sustainable Community Strategies, Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships’ (1.2 mb)