CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Social sustainability: what is it and how can we measure it?

Professor Tim Dixon, School of Construction Management & Engineering

17 July 2013

(With acknowledgements to Nicola Bacon, Social Life & Matt Bell, Berkeley Group)

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

• Context

• How we developed the framework

• Testing the framework

• Implications DESIGN FOR

SOCIAL

SUSTAINABIL ITYA f ramework for creat ing thr iv ing

new communi t ies

Saffron Woodcraft with Tricia Hackett & Lucia Caistor-Arendar

Foreword by Sir Peter Hall

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Why does social sustainability matter?

• Communities matter…

• Changes in political and legislative landscape…

• Development teams will need to justify projects in more detail…

http://ynuk.tv/2011/08/18/peckham-riots-wall-of-love/

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Our definition

“Social sustainability describes the way a neighbourhood supports individual and collective wellbeing. It is about people’s quality of life.

Social sustainability combines design of the physical environment with a focus on how the people who live in and use a space relate to each other and function as a community. It is enhanced by development which provides the right infrastructure to support a strong social and cultural life, opportunities for people to get involved, and scope for the place and the community to evolve.”

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

What happens in communities is complex

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Community strengths and vulnerabilities co-exist: this is the starting point for social sustainability

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Can other frameworks be used?

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

When to measure?

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

The key elements of the framework

• The starting point was an existing framework • Tailored to Berkeley Group’s developments • Acknowledging the relationship with wider

neighbourhoods • Making best use of existing data • Minimising primary data collection • Scoring by range, not absolute number.

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

The framework

• Three dimensions, 13 indicators, underpinned by 45 questions

• Majority of questions from nationally recognised surveys or industry frameworks

• Small number created

Design & service

provision

Potential to shape future

How the development

works

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Benchmarking

Results from resident surveys benchmarked against comparable local areas using well established geo-demographic categories: - OAC first choice - IMD where OAC not possible. Comparison with average responses from comparable social groups in comparable areas.

The Hamptons OAC categories

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Residents survey: 598

interviews across four developments

Analysis of national data

Site survey

Contextual interviews

with

stakeholders

Testing the framework Regeneration: Empire Sq

Suburban: Hamptons

Urban: Imperial Wharf

Rural: Knowle Village

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

The headline results

When residents survey responses were compared to benchmarks for comparable places:

• They feel they belong

• They regularly talk to their neighbours

• They plan to stay in the community

• They report greater feelings of safety walking alone during the day and the night.

But……

• They feel less likely they play a useful part in things

• They feel less positive about people pulling together to improve the neighbourhood

Results are based on 598 residents interviews, a site survey, analysis of national data plus corroborating interviews with local stakeholders.

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Empire Square, Bermondsey

Planning consent 2002

Completed 2007

567 homes, 30% affordable

Former warehouses

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Empire Square

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Empire Square: what do residents value?

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Knowle

• Pic and v short description

Knowle Village, Hampshire Planning consent 2003 Completed 2010 701 homes, 31% affordable Former warehouses

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Knowle Village

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Knowle Village: what do residents value?

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

What we learned and the limitations

• Need for analysis of underlying causality

• Contextual interviews helpful

• Snapshot approach can be powerful

• Mixed methods and data sources

• Scope/sphere of influence: this is a bespoke framework -- equity and justice? education and employment?

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Implications

• Contributing to our understanding of sustainability

• Practical lessons in creating communities that work

• Shifting thinking about placemaking to long term stewardship

• Post-occupancy evaluation of social sustainability is important

• Intangibles, lived experience, as important as hard infrastructure.

CAN WE BUILD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER?

Thank you • Full reports available at:

http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/sustainability/socialsustainability