Braunstone Health and Social Care Centre

Health and well being are central to sustainability and an understanding of what is meant by sustainable communities is emerging. Sustainable development brings together social, economic and environmental factors. How can we engage more fully with sustainable development? How can we make green, clean and healthy environments?

The principles of sustainable development are the same as principles of building healthier communities, including the need to address issues such as income, employment, healthy lifestyle, housing, education and community cohesion.

Introduction

The Egan Review of Skills 2004 defines sustainable communities as those that

'meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, their children and other users, contribute to a high quality of life and provide opportunity and choice. They achieve this in ways that make effective use of natural resources, enhance the environments, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengthen economic prosperity.'

Sustainability addresses the need to develop a more long term understanding of buildings that acknowledges current needs, future changes and cost and performance over time. Two major environmental issues underpin sustainable development: climate change and the use of natural resources.

Bruntland defined sustainable development as that which 'forms a process which meets the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.'

Sustainability addresses 3 key factors known as the 'triple bottom line':

• social sustainability means buildings must meet the changing needs of society, provide environments in which people live and work enjoyably and efficiently, encouraging working and social communities to flourish
• economic sustainability means advocating a more holistic view that combines best value and life cycle costing i.e. lower energy costs, reduced maintenance costs, less frequent replacement, reduced energy consumption and improved productivity
• environmental sustainability means making decisions that limit global environmental threats, protecting things people need and value, and using natural resources prudently

Please see Information Exchange (Issue 48) for information on the DH second Sustainable Development Action Plan 2007-2008, under News and Updates

• As FHN is now closed, these pages will no longer be updated.