Why are communities important? 

Communities are at the heart of the transition towards sustainability.  

Communities play an important and varied role in enabling a sustainable future. Many communities are already experiencing profound changes on their doorstep at the hands of this transition, such as changes to their built environment, transportation networks, energy systems, food supply chains and land use practices. Communities can also catalyse or resist sustainable transformations, for example via community-led ownership, activism, education and governance. In short, communities are on the frontline of the transition to net-zero and will be critical to its success.

Despite their central importance to achieving sustainable development, many countries like the UK, operate a centralised, market-led approach to sustainability that has pushed bottom-up, community-led solutions to the fringes of core decision making. Consequently, citizen involvement has often been piecemeal across different scales, with little coordination or oversight amongst different initiatives.

For ‘whole system’ sustainability transitions to be realised, communities must be able to envision a sustainable future where they feel represented, empowered and enriched. New approaches to decision and the co-creation of wealth are to needed to fully harness the energies of communities.

Through research and knowledge exchange activities the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities puts a spotlight on the vital roles of communities and mechanisms to support grassroots action.