Sustainable communities

Why?

Sustainable development is crucial to ensure a prosperous and healthy future for rural Scotland

Encouraging and promoting sustainable communities requires:

• Improved understanding of links between national policy and local initiatives
• Developing synergies between local social, economic and environmental benefits
• Design and review of appropriate and inclusive decision-making procedures

Community initiatives across Scotland are usually distinctive and diverse. By distinguishing key factors that initiate and maintain such initiatives, and related issues such as community cohesion, the research will inform the ongoing development of the Scottish Rural Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Strategy

Current projects

• Sustainable and Participatory Rural Society
• The changing role of Rural-Urban Interactions
• New Economic Niches

Outcomes

• Evaluation of the relative success of different collaborative structures:policy-directed and grass roots initiatives
• Policy guidance and briefing on the factors promoting community cohesion
• Assessment of the changing pattern of rural-urban interactions,especially related to land markets
• Appraisal of new economic niches and the role of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) in rural communities

Contacts

Dr. Sarah Skerrat