Sustainable Communities

A central aim of this research is to show the extent to which achieving mixed income/integrated developments is an important prerequisite in the ongoing development of sustainable communities.  The intention is not to suggest an approach that works in all situations, but to identify good practice which has resulted from a full assessment of local circumstances.  As each location will vary socially, economically and environmentally, so the solutions will vary to meet differing sets of needs and aspirations.  The research team will assess the extent to which key stakeholders can have autonomy to devise local responses within the broad policy context of achieving mixed and sustainable communities.  Therefore, the overarching aim of this research is to seek to establish how government bodies and other key stakeholders can play a role in the creation or continued success of balanced communities.

Within Northern Ireland the issues of religion and religious segregation, income segregation and ethnicity will be addressed while in the South, the issues of income segregation and ethnicity will be addressed. An underlying notion within this research is that an incremental and more consistent long-term approach is required to achieving sustainability in relation to housing communities. This research will:

• Define the term or elements of a balanced community;
• Identify the factors that provide the basis for creating and maintaining a balanced community;
• Consider current central government legislation and local government policy to establish whether they are conducive to the creation of balanced communities or whether they nurture the continued preservation of this community type; and
• Learn from existing balanced communities by establishing the critical factors that make a community ‘balanced’ and consider whether there is a statutory response or role required to assist further communities to move towards balance.
  

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