2003: Building Sustainable Communities

Building Sustainable Communities was a GA project which was run in association with the Academy for Sustainable Communities, which later became the Homes and Communities Agency, but was then subsequently replaced again by Homes England... can't keep up with these governmental changes....

Building Sustainable Communities arose from two linked ideas. First of all the idea of living geography - at home and outside the front door - one of the GA's key concepts and one which we've developed over a number of years through our project work. The second was about participation now and for the future - how do students make a positive contribution to the community and how will they develop skills which will contribute to their future economic well-being?

The project also asked two questions: 'What is meant by sustainable communities?' and 'How do geographical skills lead to engagement?'

One of several projects involving the GA over the last few decades. They will feature on this blog in time.

To support the project, groups of teachers were engaged in action research in four regions - Kent and Medway, Milton Keynes and South Midlands, Humberside and Plymouth and South Devon.

The project was ultimately involved with the creation of  this DVD, which I still have a copy of.

This fed into the development of a unit in the OCR Pilot GCSE Geography, which was on Sustainable Communities.

More details here. (PDF download)

Main image: Eddington Sustainable Community in Cambridge - fieldwork day - Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license