Sustainable Living
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Areas of activity
Community engagement and asset management
SRI was directly involved in the preparation of the London 2012 Olympic Games Impact Study. The detailed analysis of community development indicators, such as the level of citizen consultation, participation of minorities and support networks for people with disabilities, contributed to the formulation of Olympic legacy strategies.
SRI has several ongoing partnerships with Barking Riverside Community Investment Company (CIC), the organisation responsible for asset management and community engagement in a new housing development by the Thames in East London.
In addition to providing guidance for green infrastructure design, SRI has also coordinated ecological engagement activities with the Barking Riverside residents and carried out surveys to assess their needs and interests, on behalf of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Both in Barking and in Beckton, SRI has promoted sustainable urban food production and the engagement of residents in community gardens.
In partnership with Poplar HARCA, a housing and regeneration community association, we are starting a participatory action research programme on the impacts of road traffic on local residents' wellbeing.
Key partners, projects and contracts: Barking Riverside CIC, Beckton Sustainable Living, Bright Sparks, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London students towards sustainability, Olympic Games Impact Study, Poplar HARCA
Adaptive governance
Based on fieldwork and case studies in London, Rome, Brussels and other European cities, SRI has published research on how to embed social and environmental equity in governance strategies for urban green infrastructure. As a partner of the European Union FP7-funded program Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS), SRI has provided adaptive guidance based on quantitative and qualitative evidence to increase the integration and impact of policies implemented by local and regional authorities in London, Brussels and Rome.
Bridging organisations have an important role in these cities as institutional entrepreneurs that help to consolidate innovations facilitating collaboration across sectors, spatial scales and levels of governance. Multi-sited research carried out by SRI on the adaptive governance of urban renovation, brownfield landscaping, parks, community gardens, green living rooms and other public spaces has appeared in leading academic journals.
Combining scientific and policy learning to improve institutions and governing systems can help to ensure that adaptation to climate change and to other environmental risks supports communities instead of competing with them.
Key partners, projects and contracts: TURAS, Barking Riverside CIC, BIC Lazio, Brussels Environment, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Key areas of focus:
- Community engagement and asset management
- Adaptive governance
