Climate change-related sustainable communities training must underpin activities; not be a 'bolt-on', says report

Research commissioned by ASC has found that there needs to be a more co-ordinated approach to delivering climate change training for people who create and maintain communities.

The study by Arup found that climate change training is not being set properly within the wider context of sustainable communities. As a result, climate change issues are being addressed as a ‘bolt-on' to other sustainable communities issues, rather than underpinning all activities.

ASC intends to work with bodies and networks responsible for professional training to prioritise climate change learning. This will support the emerging eco town teams and other professionals in the wider sector as they plan and build communities that can adapt to a changing climate.

ASC is working on a number of initiatives to support the eco towns programme and help people tackle climate change. These include:

• A website resource that demystifies climate change issues and provides people with the tools needed to integrate these factors into the design and delivery of sustainable communities - the resource is currently being tested with various practitioners.
• A range of case studies on tackling climate change and developing eco towns (including Freiburg, Hammerby and Dongtang) - the case studies will be published in the spring.
• Identifying climate change learning programmes.
• Working with Inspire East to develop practical guidance for planners and councillors to deal with climate change issues.
• Establishing a sub group within ASC's well-respected Leaders' Network to support people in leadership positions - public, private and community sectors - in eco towns.

ASC Chief Executive Gill Taylor said: 'ASC will work with some of the emerging eco town project teams to develop resources that ensure people have the skills and knowledge to create places that are truly sustainable.'

'It's vital that there is comprehensive understanding of climate change issues for both eco town teams and professionals in the wider sustainable communities sector. We need to improve the way we deliver training so that professionals can deliver places that can adapt to our changing climate.'

The Arup research into climate change training involved 359 survey respondents and interviews with 11 organisations:

    * Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)
    * Royal Town Planning Institute
    * Constructing Excellence
    * Institute of Civil Engineers
    * Chartered Institute of Housing
    * Government Skills
    * Landscape Institute
    * Manchester City Council
    * Institute of Economic Development
    * Sustainable Development Foundation
    * UK Green Building Council

The research identified three main concerns:

• A significant variation in the range and type of continuous professional development (CPD) access routes across (and sometimes within) different professions;
• A lack of clarity on how specific CPD activities and courses fit within a wider framework of learning; and
• A tendency to apply a separate approach to climate change based on existing professional constraints.