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In the wake of the impact of climate change on human society and vice versa, world leaders have begun to build global partnerships for sustainable development since 1992 in the Rio Earth Submit. Sustainable development, both as a concept and an agenda, develops over time seeking ways to promote the flourishing of both the human populations and the planet (Gamble and Weil, 1997). Such an ambitious agenda requires people from different countries and communities to transcend in-group and out-group differences, creating what Ward, Jackson and Jackson (1962) coined as 鈥榯he moral unity of human experience鈥�, at local and global levels to protect our natural and human worlds. While most cities and communities are not 鈥榙eveloped鈥� for achieving sustainability goals but the reverse (Roseland, 2000), it would be inevitable for communities to undergo transition from their current ways of living and being to alternative ones that minimise exploitation of the planet, protect human dignity and enhance social equity.

The rosy picture painted in community-based sustainable development - communities joining hands, sharing wealth and resources and taking care of each other across class, caste, age, cultural, racial and gender differences - as much as we need it for realising sustainability goals is not a common feature of social life as yet. Leach, Mearns and Scoones (1997; 1999) have contested the notion of equilibrium between the environment (as a static material entity) and the community, as well as the notion of community as a distinctive and homogenous entity. Instead of assuming people all working together to strive for a balance/equilibrium of their needs and the planets, Leach et al. (ibid) argued that we should understand community engagement as working groups with contested identities, uneven power distribution, social hierarchies and differentiated access to resources. From this perspective, sustainable progress would then be the result of complex negotiation and processes of redistribution among social actors, institutions and the constantly changing environments.

Case Example: The 15-Minute City Concept

As many communities approach the easing of social distancing restrictions as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and since the restrictions were intense and long, it is only natural to look back on the experience. For many in European cities, one major area people mentioned was the richness and value of exploring their locality during the restrictions.

Newcastle, a large city in Northeast England near Durham University, has developed a Carbon Neutral Plan called, Net Zero Newcastle- 2030 Action Plan, adopting the idea of a 鈥�15-Minute City鈥� (Newcastle City Council, 2020; p.63). This plan is under continuous review; and the developers state that it will never truly be completed as they will continue to ask for input and revise the plan in light of progress and changing circumstances.

The 15-Minute City concept was proposed by Carlos Moreno, Professor in Complex Systems and Innovation of University of Paris 1 Panth茅on-Sorbonne. The idea is that everyone should be able to access six key 鈥榮ocial functions鈥� within a 15-minute walk, cycle or use of public transport. The Six Social Functions are living, working, supplying, caring, learning, and enjoying the area around one's home (Young, 2021). By doing this, cities would reduce carbon emissions as petrol/diesel vehicles are the largest producers of carbon emissions in cities (European Federation for Transport and Environment, 2018) and the 鈥�15-Minute City鈥� concept would reduce the need for a car.

The 15-Minute City does raise concerns like those of urban designer Jay Pitter who says that it doesn鈥檛 translate well to North America where many cities were designed around cars and have a history of segregation. In fact, it could further harm areas within a city that already experience a lack of resources (O鈥橲ullivan, 2021). This is a good example of the transition point and how it needs to be negotiated, informed still by the driving concept of sustainable communities.

Newcastle, like other European Cities, and unlike most cities in the USA, was founded at times before cars, and so is geographically relatively compact, with small narrow streets that are better suited for pedestrians and cyclists. The tension will be that since their early days they have incorporated vehicles for a variety of reasons including commerce. In simple terms, car manufacturing and petroleum sellers want as many people as possible to buy their products and yet these same products are causing carbon emissions. So where and when does the negotiation take place? How can this be resolved?

O鈥橲ullivan (2021) also quotes another expert, Dan Hill, Strategic Director of Vinnova in Sweden, who says that injustices can be avoided if the planners use 鈥渟ocial relationships as the starting point, so that [hyper-local planning] becomes the vehicle through which you can address questions of social or environmental justice.鈥� This is a good starting point however; we would add that the economic questions need to be addressed as well. Thus, for instance, as detrimental as cars are to the environment, they remain central to economic activity, providing commercial and resource links.

By making their plan open to input and changes Newcastle is aiming to avoid these pitfalls. It is unknown what detailed steps are being taken to engage with communities, especially those that are less resourced. They did a Call to Evidence in late 2019 and early 2020 and they have held Climate Change Summits.

What can Participatory Action Research offer?

As can happen in many situations, if not necessarily in the case in Newcastle, in the desire to move forward and get things accomplished a small group of decision makers often frame the conversation thus creating the power dynamic mentioned earlier. We would suggest that models for decision-making and action need to be collaborative if they are to avoid this kind of pitfall, and genuinely focus on the issues of sustainability of direct importance to specific communities. Participatory Action Research (PAR), based on these principles of engagement and co-production would assist in opening the conversation leading to better quality of input from citizens and progress on the plan goals.

PAR is an established method of social research and by its nature supports processes of collaboration and community development, allowing for diverse interests and competing perspectives to be both articulated and (potentially) resolved (Banks and Hart, 2018). PAR is well placed to address the concerned raised in the 鈥�15-Minute City鈥� debate. By using this method to shape key questions, gather information and inform action, the people directly affected by any changes, including economical ones, can give their input. In this way social justice is more likely to be realised. In the present example, the Net Zero Newcastle document is mostly graphics based, which is great for accessibility, it is lacking further detail on what types of inputs from citizens have been used so far and are planned in the future. Participatory Action Research could fulfil this function. It is engaging and interactive, allowing for the complex needs of individual neighbourhoods to emerge, and providing an inclusive and democratic route towards greater social justice for people living in particular areas.

References

Banks, S., & Hart, A. (Eds.). (2018). Co-producing research: A community development approach. Policy Press.

European Federation for Transport and Environment AISBL. (2018) 鈥淐O2 Emissions From Cars: the facts. Brussels, Belgium.

Gamble, D. N., & Weil, M. O. (1997). Sustainable development: The challenge for community development. Community Development Journal, 32(3), 210-222.

Leach, M., Mearns, R., & Scoones, I. (1997). Challenges to community鈥恇ased sustainable development: dynamics, entitlements, institutions. IDS bulletin, 28(4), 4-14.

Leach, M., Mearns, R., & Scoones, I. (1999). Environmental entitlements: dynamics and institutions in community-based natural resource management. World Development, 27(2), 225-247.

Newcastle City Council, Carbon Neutral Plan (2020). , accessed on 30/09/2021

O鈥橲ullivan, F. (2021). 鈥淲here the 鈥�15-Minute City鈥� Falls Short, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-02/the-downsides-of-a-15-minute-city, accessed on 29/09/2021

Ward, B., Jackson, B., & Jackson, L. B. W. (1962). The rich nations and the poor nations. WW Norton & Company.

Young, P. (2020). 鈥淗ow 15-minute cities will change the way we socialise鈥�, accessed on 29/09/2021