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In the context of threats to their financial sustainability, this paper uses Resource Dependency Theory to explore the challenges being faced by a sample of 10 small new public universities in England. It discusses the responses being taken and prospects for the future in this segment of the sector. It concludes that some of the most important elements of income and expenditure are also areas where institutions have amongst the lowest levels of autonomy, including tuition fees, staff salaries and pension costs. It suggests that institutions are proactively seeking ways to both adapt their strategy and influence the environment in which they operate, including the introduction of new organisational forms, models for employing staff, the diversification into new programmes and markets, and greater use of domestic and international partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea defence policy in England has proven contentious in the early twenty-first century, with government willing to defend the coast only where it is considered cost effective and not minded to compensate people for any resulting abandonment of homes. Additional focus is brought to this position by the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which reflect a growing emphasis on climate change effects and other environmental hazards, and the wellbeing of the current generation and those to come. This requires policy makers to seek to balance economic, social and environmental dimensions, and to tackle inequalities; with a central commitment of the goals to "leave no one behind". Subsequent to publication of the SDGs, England was promised a revolution in the government's approach to Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM). This paper seeks to understand the nature of this revolution with particular regard to extant issues around just governance. It finds that policy fails to deal with issues over the local acceptability of proposals for change and the bearing of risk, and instead lies principally in the elevation of the problematic concept of resilience and an accompanying ambivalence towards ideas of sustainability and sustainable development. International agreement that compensation should be paid to those countries suffering the worst effects of climate change, including sea level rise, suggests that adoption of a similar approach to vulnerable homeowners might be the more appropriate revolution and bring policy more into line with the aspirations of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the challenging – and frightening – times in which we now live, education is seen as playing a key role in making change for the better. However, the Department for Education's (2022) strategy on education for sustainability and climate change, applicable to schools in England, is lacking in many areas and fails to address students', teachers', and teacher educators' priorities. Crucially, the environment and climate emergency greatly concerns many children and young people and these issues should be addressed across the whole curriculum, not just in geography and science. Further, there needs to be more focus on emotions rather than facts, wellbeing rather than the economy. So, the question is: How can we 'green' art, craft and design education to ensure it is both effective and affective? Art can change the world because it is 'homeless, endless, and edgeless' – this sounds exciting but does not aid teachers in curriculum design. In this paper I will share an emergent manifesto for an environmentally responsible art, craft and design (ACD) curriculum... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper assesses the level of awareness of green leases in England and establishes the range of current attitudes of various property professions towards adoption of the green clauses in commercial leases. The current willingness for landlords and tenants to adopt a green lease is scattered and not aligned with government initiatives to achieve net zero. Best practice recommendations are needed to ensure both landlords and tenants understand what arrangements best fit their circumstances. For the impact of green clauses to be maximised and, where appropriate, implemented, they need to be communicated in terms to which both parties are happy to commit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses attempts to renew apprenticeship over the last three decades in three liberal market economies – US, England and Australia. We conceptualise institutional renewal as entailing both revival, or growth in apprentice starts, and extension, or widening its occupational base. The paper contributes to the literature by considering reasons for the attempted renewal and offering an assessment of the outcomes of renewal. It also contributes to research at the intersection of institutional and comparative training literature by developing the concept of institutional renewal and applying it to apprenticeship. It is concluded that in quantitative terms renewal had some success in England and Australia, but the effect of intervention is more uncertain in the US. The paper also identifies a paradox that policies to promote apprenticeships have undermined the quality of training in England and Australia, leading to questions about the sustainability of renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest to deliver sustainable development has led to a search for ways to engage all stakeholders in this collective endeavour. Currently, local planners across England and elsewhere use independent design review panels to help raise the design quality of new developments. This paper examines the extent to which such panels can instill the need to adhere to sustainable development principles. We focus on the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel, which has framed its review process around sustainable development principles, named the "4 Cs": community, connectivity, climate, and character. Situating the panel's work within a design governance framework, we scrutinise the value and limitations of this particular governance tool. We conclude that local planners' ability to take forward the panel's recommendations on delivering new developments to high sustainability standards remains problematic, compromised by national priorities and market decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In 2017, health and social care organizations contributed 6.3% of carbon emissions in England. Efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of the National Health Service (NHS) have been broadly focused on reducing demand, through prevention and patient empowerment, and modifying supply side factors by focusing on lean care systems and low carbon alternatives. This narrative review concentrates on supply side factors to identify sustainable practices with a focus on actions that could be implemented in dermatology departments. For this study, a literature review was conducted In MEDLINE in April 2020. The search terms included 'environmental sustainability' and 'climate change' with 'dermatology', 'telemedicine', 'NHS', 'surgery' and 'operating theatres'. Out of 95 results, 20 were deemed relevant to the review. Although the review showed that there is clearly growing interest in environmental sustainability, the identified literature lacked examples of comprehensive implementation and evaluation of initiatives. The literature discussed distinct areas including transport, waste management and procurement as part of a lean healthcare system. A number of papers highlighted the potential contribution of carbon‐reducing actions without citing verifiable outcome data. This narrative review highlights the need for detailed environmental impact assessments of treatment options in dermatology, in tandem with economic analysis. In conclusion, we have identified a clear need for evidence‐based guidance setting out implementable actions with identifiable benefits achievable within local clinical teams. This will require engagement between clinicians, patients and healthcare organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) inclusive sustainability appraisals (SAs) for neighbourhood plans (NPs) in England may be required when significant environmental effects are expected to arise from an NP. In this paper, we report on the result of a Ph.D. project, conducted between 2012 and 2015, in which all 15 NP SEA inclusive SAs that had been completed at the time were evaluated. In this context, the quality of SA practice was found to differ substantially. SAs were prepared either 'in-house' (i.e. by neighbourhood planning steering groups) or by consultants. The quality of SAs was found to be associated with their overall perceived degree of influence on the underlying NPs. Whilst the focus of this paper is on practice in England, findings are expected to be of interest to a wider international audience, in particular to those experimenting with voluntary neighbourhood/local level plan SA/SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a 2010 analysis of the reform and costs of adult social care commissioned by Downing Street and the UK Department of Health, this paper sets out projected future costs under different reform scenarios, reviews what happened in practice from 2010-19, explores the impact of the growing gap between need and funding, and explores the relationship between future spending and economic growth. In the process, it identifies a 'lost decade' in which policy makers failed to act on the warnings which they received in 2010, draws attention to the disproportionate impact of cuts on older people (compared to services for people of working age) and calls for urgent action before the current system becomes unsustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study into the design processes involved in Soft Landings is an important aspect to realising energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in buildings. Previous Soft Landings papers have focused mainly on post occupancy evaluations and aftercare. No comprehensive study has been attempted with respect to Soft Landings at the design stage. In response to this gap, this paper investigates the application of Soft Landings during the design stage of a central government building in London. It provides an insight into the working processes of a Soft Landings design team and its interaction with other team members and end users. Information from interviews with the design team, minutes of meetings, walk-through in the designed spaces were used to explore how design decisions were reached. It highlights the role the Soft Landings Champion played to ensure that the environmental sustainability objectives of the project were carried from design to construction. The paper also explains the fundamentals of Soft Landings and its potential as a client-driven management tool. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of the result to designers, contractors and clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Induced abortion is a common procedure. However, there is marked variation in accessibility of services across England. Accessing abortion services may be difficult, particularly for women who live in remote areas, are in the second trimester of pregnancy, have complex pre-existing conditions or have difficult social circumstances.Objective and Rationale: This article presents a two-part review undertaken for a new National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guideline on abortion care, and aiming to determine: the factors that help or hinder accessibility and sustainability of abortion services in England (qualitative review), and strategies that improve these factors, and/or other factors identified by stakeholders (quantitative review). Economic modelling was undertaken to estimate cost savings associated with reducing waiting times.Search Methods: Ovid Embase Classic and Embase, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily and Ovid MEDLINE(R), PsycINFO, Cochrane Library via Wiley Online, Cinahl Plus and Web of Science Core Collection were searched for articles published up to November 2018. Studies were included if they were published in English after 2001, conducted in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and were: qualitative studies reporting views of patients and/or staff on factors that help or hinder the accessibility and sustainability of a safe abortion service, or randomized or non-randomized studies that compared strategies to improve factors identified by the qualitative review and/or stakeholders. Studies were excluded if they were conducted in OECD countries where abortion is prohibited altogether or only performed to save the woman's life. One author assessed risk of bias of included studies using the following checklists: Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative studies, Cochrane Collaboration quality checklist for randomized controlled trials, Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort studies, and Effective Practice and Organization of Care risk of bias tool for before-and-after studies.Qualitative evidence was combined using thematic analysis and overall quality of the evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual). Quantitative evidence was analysed in Review Manager 5.3 and overall quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE.Outcomes: Eight themes (service level barriers; financial barriers; logistical barriers; personal barriers; legal and policy barriers; privacy and confidentiality concerns; training and education; community prescribing and telemedicine introduce greater flexibility) and 18 subthemes were identified from 23 papers (n = 1016) included in the qualitative review. The quality of evidence ranged from very low to high, with evidence for one theme and seven subthemes rated as high quality. Nine studies (n = 7061) were included in the quantitative review which showed that satisfaction was better (low to high quality evidence) and women were seen sooner (very low quality evidence) when care was led by nurses or midwives compared with physician-led services, women were seen sooner when they could self-refer (very low quality evidence), and clinicians were more likely to provide abortions if training used an opt-out model (very low quality evidence). Economic modelling showed that even small reductions in waiting times could result in large cost savings for services.Wider Implications: Self-referral, funding for travel and accommodation, reducing waiting times, remote assessment, community services, maximizing the role of nurses and midwives and including practical experience of performing abortion in core curriculums, unless the trainee opts out, should improve access to and sustainability of abortion services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not only is it tacitly understood that walking is good for health and well-being but there is also now robust evidence to support this link. There is also growing evidence that regular short walks can be a protective factor for a range of long-term health conditions. Walking in the countryside can bring additional benefits, but access to the countryside brings complexities, especially for people with poorer material resources and from different ethnic communities. Reasons for people taking up walking as a physical activity are reasonably well understood, but factors linked to sustained walking, and therefore sustained benefit, are not. Based on an ethnographic study of a Walking for Health group in Lincolnshire, UK, this paper considers the motivations and rewards of group walks for older people. Nineteen members of the walking group, almost all with long-term conditions, took part in tape-recorded interviews about the personal benefits of walking. The paper provides insights into the links between walking as a sustainable activity and health, and why a combination of personal adaptive capacities, design elements of the walks and relational achievements of the walking group are important to this understanding. The paper concludes with some observations about the need to reframe conventional thinking about adherence to physical activity programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The December 2015 storms resulted in unprecedented damage to bridges in Northern England, UK. In Cumbria, the inspection of lower-priority structures was then delayed by continuing high water levels and the need to prioritise scarce diving resources to the repair works. Thus, full inspections were not completed until after the end of the summer river access period, leaving over 180 bridges that could not be repaired because rising river levels prevented safe access. This paper describes the risk-based strategy adopted to manage the monitoring and urgent repair of damaged bridges during the winter of 2016/2017. The strategy combined the engineering assessment of bridge condition and catchment-based river-level informatics to provide duty engineers with timely warning of river flows deemed likely to cause further risk, thus enabling them to call out inspection and maintenance engineers to assess the risks on-site and, where necessary, assure public safety by initiating bridge closures. The lessons learnt from the implementation of this strategy on this 10% sample of Cumbria's bridge stock will be used to inform the selection of measures for resilience against the effects of climate change and to develop county-wide emergency preparedness processes for all the highways network structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses upon the new landscape of strategic coastal planning and implementation in England and Wales resulting from the development of shoreline management plans (SMPs) by flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCRM) authorities; the issues raised will be very familiar elsewhere in the world. The real test is how to implement the many measures and management decisions within these SMPs. In many cases, those decisions were difficult to reach; sometimes the result was an uneasy agreement to maintain defences indefinitely, if the funding is available; elsewhere, bold decisions were taken to withdraw maintenance using the 'no active intervention' SMP policy option. This policy is often paraphrased as 'do nothing', but in reality it is usually far from being a passive exercise. Depending on the circumstances and rationale for not intervening, it may entail a lot of work and have many implications. What is the nature of current intervention? Are there existing FCRM assets in place, and if so, will they be dismantled or left to disintegrate? Either way, potential impacts upon public health and safety, the natural environment, coastal processes, amenity and local communities and businesses need attention, and the exercise needs careful planning and engagement. There may be other options to consider, such as the 'localisation' or transfer of assets, and management of them, to third parties - but what are the liabilities associated with this and is it sustainable? A well-planned decommissioning of assets that is written into a SMP in advance is more likely to address these implications successfully, whereas a withdrawal from maintenance in the teeth of local opposition despite an original intention to defend may become complicated. The FCRM community needs to be prepared for these decisions and their consequences in advance. Additionally, is 'no active intervention' compliant with European law? The Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working with local authorities and other partners on a number of initiatives that will clarify issues, review experience and provide simple, practical guidance to risk management authorities faced with implementing a 'no active intervention' option. This paper will highlight the results and products of some of these initiatives and reflect more widely on the 'deliverability' of SMPs as they stand. 'Doing nothing' at the coast is clearly less relaxing than it sounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the ideological and the practical relationship between neoliberalism and New Public Management (NPM) and the sustainable development agenda of western higher education. Using the United Kingdom and specifically English universities as an example, it investigates the contradictions and the synergies between neoliberal and NPM ideologies and the pursuit and practice of the sustainability agenda, focusing in particular on education for sustainable development (ESD) and ESD research. This paper reveals a range of challenges and opportunities in respect of advancing sustainability in higher education, within the prevailing neoliberal context. It illustrates using examples how neoliberal and managerialist control mechanisms, which govern institutional, departmental and individual academic, as well as student behaviour, are working conversely to both drive and limit the sustainability education agenda. The case is made for further exploration of how ‘nudging’ and ‘steering’ mechanisms within English HE might provide further leverage for ESD developments in the near future, and the implications of this for sustainability educators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores citizen concerns emerging in the design stage of MotionMap, a smart transport initiative developed in the context of a £16 million smart city programme. A city-wide sensing system integrated with other databases will provide real-time information about vehicular and pedestrian movement. The experience of a series of smart transport workshops in Milton Keynes suggests that citizens feel that they bear the cost of smart cities through potentially intrusive surveillance producing sacrifices in convenience and privacy, while the gains are captured by industrial and governmental actors. This distrust of surveillance through urban sensing systems is not inflexible. Such systems can gain legitimacy through a participatory approach where users legitimize the sensing system by taking an active role in providing transport data, as opposed to having it 'harvested' from them through passive or opportunistic mechanisms. Participatory approaches are challenging because users will engage only if the system can provide compelling benefits. A key contribution of this research comes from identifying that the benefits important to citizens are not necessarily measured in economic terms nor in terms of increased efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: This paper presents the findings of an action research (AR) project to improve a health information system (HIS) at the Operating Theater Department (OTD) of a National Health Service (NHS) hospital in South East England, the UK.Methods: Informed by socio-technical systems (STS) theory, AR was used to design an intervention to enhance an existing patient administration system (PAS) to enable data entries in real time while contributing to the literature. The study analyzed qualitative data collected through interviews, participant observations, and document reviews.Results: The study found that the design of the PAS was unsuitable to the work of the three units of the OTD. Based on the diagnoses and STS theory, the project developed and implemented a successful intervention to enhance the legacy system for data entries in real time.Conclusions: The study demonstrates the value of AR from a socio-technical perspective for improving existing systems in healthcare settings. The steps adopted in this study could be applied to improve similar systems. A follow-up study will be essential to assess the sustainability of the improved system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal waste dumping has been widely regarded as one of the biggest source of environmental damage. Waste facilities management is an important way of combating illegal dumping for environmental protection and sustainability. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis on the determinants of illegal waste dumping based on panel data of England for a period of 7 years (2008–2014) using count data models, to access the effects of different drivers (economic, institution, policy). To be more specific the results show that (1) the increase of landfill cost (including landfill tax and landfill gate fee) have significant negative impact on the occurrence of illegal dumping (2) more waste landfill facilities, income level and intensity of penalty discourage illegal dumping. Such findings are robust using all models. The results indicate the main challenges in combating illegal waste dumping and the respective actions needed from the point of legal factors (i.e., law enforcement), institution factors (i.e., recycling rate, landfill dispersion) and economic factors (i.e., income level). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the development of green entrepreneurship and its potential role in transformative change towards a green economy. It achieves this through a study of the green building sector in England and Wales, based on qualitative empirical data from fifty-five semistructured interviews with businesses in the green building sector and with support organisations, including banks, financial sources, and business advice and support. The paper both critiques and synthesises two bodies of literature-- entrepreneurial research and sociotechnical transitions theories, specifically the multilevel perspective (MLP)--to better understand the role of green entrepreneurs in facilitating a shift towards a green economy. This analysis embeds green entrepreneurs in a wider system of actors, rather than reifying the lone entrepreneurial hero, in order to explore how green entrepreneurs facilitate sustainability transitions. The paper challenges the notion that green entrepreneurs are an unproblematic category. We discovered that individuals move between 'green' and 'conventional' business, evolving over time, such that this is a fluid and blurred, rather than static, state. Moreover, while the green economy and the green building sector are often referred to as coherent sectors, with agreed and consistent practices, our evidence suggests that they are far from agreed, that business models vary, and that there are significant contradictions within so-called green building practices. The paper contributes to the development of sociotechnical transitions theory and suggests that the MLP needs to incorporate complexity and multiplicity within niches, that niches may be inherently conflictual rather than consensual, and that the concept of 'protection' for niches is problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability assessment is a recent framing of impact assessment that places emphasis on delivering positive net sustainability gains now and into the future. It can be directed to any type of decision-making, can take many forms and is fundamentally pluralistic. Drawing mainly on theoretical papers along with the few case study examples published to date (from England, Western Australia, South Africa and Canada), this paper outlines what might be considered state-of-the-art sustainability assessment. Such processes must: (i) address sustainability imperatives with positive progress towards sustainability; (ii) establish a workable concept of sustainability in the context of individual decisions/assessments; (iii) adopt formal mechanisms for managing unavoidable trade-offs in an open, participative and accountable manner; (iv) embrace the pluralistic inevitabilities of sustainability assessment; and (v) engender learning throughout. We postulate that sustainability assessment may be at the beginning of a phase of expansion not seen since environmental impact assessment was adopted worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines how complex transport projects are reported in the media using the Transport Innovation Fund bid for Greater Manchester as a case study. It demonstrates how projects are simplified and distorted in the media in a systematic way. Such distortion is explained by a scheme’s perceived newsworthiness, its complexity and the contemporary nature of news media production. The paper has implications for future research in this area and the implementation of sustainable transport policy. It urges transport professionals to both better understand, and engage directly with, the media if they are to maximise the benefits of efforts to shape travel behaviour. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews the urban design dimension of the English urban renaissance of the last decade. It focuses on the recommendations made in the Urban Task Force report in 1999, largely adopted by the New Labour Government, and follows through its implementation in planning, housing and regeneration practice to evaluate the design outcomes thus far. The focus is on four areas of reform: the pursuit of design excellence; housing supply and quality; public realm and urban environmental quality; and local governance, the latter providing the frame for the implementation of renaissance objectives. The paper draws on a very wide range of academic, professional and governmental literature as well as a collective academic study of the renaissance experience in each of the major British cities. It concludes with a discussion of the successes and failures of renaissance policy and the challenges to inclusiveness and sustainability that lie ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common land in England presents us with a complex proprietary system: although privately owned, third parties have common land use rights over it, which differ greatly in kind because of varied customary traditions. The paper will begin by tracing the modern history of the property rights on the commons, focusing on the eradication of customary proprietary traditions by modern legislation (Commons Registration Act 1965). The analysis of the evolution of property rights will be linked with that of environmental governance mechanisms and designations to which many commons are subject today and with the quest for sustainable management of common land. Using the analytical framework of legal pluralism, the paper will investigate the power relations between three principal legal orderings applicable to common land governance: environmental management, current property law, and soft and customary law. This analysis will be grounded in the lands of three case studies. Looking at the interrelations of the three legal spheres, it will be possible to provide an analysis of the interplay between property rights and environmental protection as well as offering practical solutions for their reconciliation through the formation of self-regulatory statutory Commons Councils, corporate bodies envisaged by Part II of the Commons Act 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines housing policies aimed at establishing mixed income communities. Based on stakeholder interviews and case study analysis in England and Scotland, the paper pays particular attention to the impact of interventions in housing management. The first part considers the policy context for mixed communities and considers the conceptual basis underlying contemporary housing management through discourses of culture and social control. The second part considers how this agenda has resulted in the adoption of intensive management strategies within mixed communities; illustrated in the development of allocation policies, initiatives designed to tackle anti-social behaviour, and proposals to develop sustainable communities. The main argument is that given that the concept of mixed communities is based on the premise of social housing failure, citizenship has been defined largely in response to private sector interests. This approach to management has been a contributory factor in the construction of social housing as a form of second-class citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability checklists are designed to provide practical tools (including indicators) that help with planning and measuring sustainability within new developments and redevelopment schemes. Unfortunately, a checklist - due to its very nature - tends to consider elements of sustainability in isolation, narrowing it to a set of individual tick boxes. Successful planning strategies for sustainable utility infrastructure require a more holistic approach that considers elements of water, energy and infrastructure in tandem rather than isolation, therefore suggesting that a checklist approach may not be wholly appropriate. By critically examining the 2007 version of the sustainability checklist for south-east England with respect to 12 questions that relate to sustainable utility infrastructure alone (five for energy, four for water and three for infrastructure provision) this argument is explored further. The thorough examination provided in this paper serves to analyse the framing of the questions used in the checklist and test the validity of the aims and scoring method used (including weightings). This paper also examines whether these questions can jointly form a successful holistic strategy for infrastructure, not least in terms of the ability to ensure that supply meets demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a stakeholder consultation exercise that examined the tourism industry's perception of developing a local tourism branding schemewithin the South Downs' protected areas in south-east England. The research shows that such schemes could offer potential benefits that are recognisable by the tourism industry, while helping to meet the statutory aims of the protected area. The paper records the perceptions of small tourism businesses, their fears, awareness of tourism impacts, perceptions of sustainable tourism and of local branding, and key criteria connected to the future organisation of a local tourism branding scheme. The conclusion lists the recommendations for the implementation of a local branding scheme, including grassroots stakeholder consultation that encourages ownership and participation, institutional frameworks that support capacity-building and the importance of developing core values within a local brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how education for sustainable development (ESD) was measured in the taught curriculum at the University of Bristol (UoB), providing comparison to other methods of measurement and how measurements were used to engage academics in considering the visibility of the penetration of sustainable development into their teaching. Design/methodology/approach – The process of designing a quantitative and comparative method of reviewing ESD utilising a reflective process at the UoB is considered, which can be applied by other institutions. The UoB decided on an in-house method of assessment using the Unit and Programme Catalogue, a list of all taught units. Initially this revealed that some information relating to ESD was not clearly articulated. A school ESD review refined the data along with the release of key information set data, a nationally published data set which identifies mandatory, typical and optional diets taken by students on programmes. Findings – Text-based methods of assessing ESD penetration into programmes of study have limited use as direct measures of sustainability visibility in programmes, but can be improved by using interpretative methodologies. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies can produce data, which is a useful catalyst for academic reflection. Most importantly, it provides a tool for engagement while also enabling the targeting of resources and support. The UoB has avoided the pitfalls of manipulatable text count methods, and shown that comparative methods can be combined effectively with real engagement with academics and students for a measurement method that showcases good practice. Originality/value – Increasingly, universities and the higher education sector more widely are looking to embed ESD. To assess progress, systems of measurement and monitoring are required. This case study shares a replicable methodology combining quantitative and qualitative methods developed at the UoB which has been used by academics as a reflective tool to change their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to the increased interest in addressing organisational sustainability issues using behaviour change strategies, this paper aims to propose a methodology for doing so from a different perspective – namely, sociology and social practice theory. Firstly, the background of behaviour change approaches and practice theory are discussed. Then a methodology for conducting a pro-environmental organisational change project is proposed. The methodology involves five key elements: detailed analysis of context, outlining a theoretical framework, establishing project boundaries, acknowledging connectivity of practices and choosing data collection methods. We illustrate the application of methodology by using examples of everyday consumables, energy and waste in a hospital trust in the South East of England. This approach has been effective for analysing routine and inconspicuous consumption within an organisation, as it considers individual attitudes and motivations as well as the structural and habitual nature of communities of practices. It allows researchers and managers to understand workplace consumption issues from several perspectives and identify the best angle from which to approach potential resolutions. • A five-step methodology for an organisational change management project is proposed. • Practice theory helps analyse routine inconspicuous consumption in an organization. • Practice theory helps establish project boundaries and connectivity between practices. • Organisational context and structure can facilitate sustainable workplace consumption. • Energy and waste consumption practices in workplaces rely on habits and routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to investigate education for sustainability (EfS) practice and perceptions in three university contexts in England, Australia and Greece with a view to identify a suitable systems model for effective EfS across the university. Design/methodology/approach – Research tools involved interviews of key people engaged in EfS (n=25) supported by observations plus appropriate documentary analysis as a basis to establish perceived good practice, barriers and ways to improve EfS. Findings – Clear vision, leadership and support for EfS were considered vital, while agreed understanding about the importance, purpose and nature of EfS was necessary to achieve effective EfS across the university. Wide consultation, consensual agreement and collaborative practice were viewed as important to achieve collective views and coordinated action. A distributed model of leadership in which individuals are responsible and collectively empowered to action is relevant to a systems model for EfS. A systems model for coordination of EfS integrates approaches to governance, curriculum and infrastructure management. Details of examples of good practice and ways to improve practice are discussed. Research limitations/implications – As the research was qualitative in design and focussed on three universities, the sample size is restricted and there are limitations in the generalisability of specific results outside of their contexts. However, the overall results have some broadly significant implications and trends that have relevance for the university sector. Practical implications – The structure and processes for an approach to systems organisation and identified good practice, barriers and perceived ways to improve practice have relevance for coordination of EfS across the university sector. Social implications – The findings have significant social implications, as EfS has urgent and important international priority, while universities have important functions in educating the next generation of professionals across a wide range of contexts. Originality/value – The paper is an original contribution to establishing an effective systems model for EfS coordination; hence it is of significant educational and social value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses how reforms being introduced in England by the May 2010 Coalition government may affect the capacity of the planning system to promote sustainability. Although moves towards decentralization may allow more innovative local responses to environmental challenges than seemed likely under New Labour, they raise dilemmas of coordination, capacity and accountability for wider, international environmental goals. In certain key respects, the implications of the Coalition's proposals for sustainability and planning echo those of preceding Labour governments. Neither allows planning a major role in more reflexive forms of governance, through which localized challenges to plans and projects can be connected to wider, overarching policy change. Both have sought to increase the emphasis on economic growth in their conception of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous research suggests that, despite a desire to introduce environmental concerns into New Product Design, many companies in the northwest of England have not done so. In order to understand more about why companies do or do not take on sustainability methodologies, an entirely new and rigorous approach was taken. This paper therefore presents the results of a questionnaire investigating the up-take of Eco/Sustainable Design in manufacturing companies in Sweden – a country that might be considered more environmentally progressive than the UK – and discusses them alongside the results of an identical questionnaire in the UK. The results are presented in the context of risk and risk aversion/management – in particular the risk associated with taking on board Design for Sustainability as a design method or a company strategy. It is found that there is no clear “winner” in sustainability between UK and Swedish engineering companies; there is encouraging news in both countries, with a desire to practice sustainability, but some that is not so good with the number of companies that actually implement relevant methodologies. It is apparent that there are still hindrances and perceived risks preventing companies taking sustainability fully on board, despite the recognition that sustainability is a “good thing”; the importance of the implementation of sustainability has not yet been fully grasped by industry and by those with the responsibility required to effect any changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Streetworks to repair buried pipes and cables use many different technologies and working methods. These are usually determined by the dual pressures of time, and economic costs. However, many other constraints should be imposed by the need to minimise both environmental costs and social costs, as these drivers, taken together, cover a range of other impacts. Given that the boundaries between the different categories of costs are often blurred, and different stakeholders hold different views on what to account for, the calculation is complex. This review paper focuses on the drivers for, and barriers to, the delivery of a balanced solution in the UK, and explores whether currently available methodologies are able effectively to assess different solutions to this complex problem. Following a review of the full range of potential impacts caused by streetworks in the UK, it concludes that a bespoke assessment framework needs to be developed for streetworks - application of general frameworks will not serve adequately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Origins of sustainable communities lie in agendas set in a motion passed by the United Nations nearly forty years ago. As part of a sustainable development strategy and to tackle negative aspects of post industrial cities, in 2003, the UK government launched a Sustainable Communities Plan, accompanied by regional action plans, of which a major objective has been to implement regeneration projects aiming to improve quality of life in several areas of England, including the North West. This paper aims to review sustainable development agendas and to establish what needs to be done to improve quality of life indicators for communities of Stockbridge Village (SV), Murdishaw (M) and Halton Brook (HB) in Knowsley Metropolitan Borough (MBC) and Halton Borough Councils (BC), which have been identified as the most deprived post industrial areas in the North West of England. An investigation has been carried out by comparing the economic, social, physical and environmental indicators. Study findings reveal existing challenges and highlight problems that need to be addressed when implementing sustainable development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Mixed use' is a solution often used to address (urban) sustainability concerns. The claim is that more compact, high-density urban developments that serve a multitude of uses and users can be socially beneficial while being environmentally sound and economically viable. In the case of the Luneside East regeneration project in Lancaster, UK, 'mixed use' has been specified towards the goal of achieving a 'vibrant, sustainable quarter of the city' and a 'sustainable and balanced community'. In this paper, a specific dimension of mixed use critical to community sustainability - provision of social infrastructure - is assessed using a futures analysis. Providing services and facilities that meet the needs of residents, promoting social interaction and enhancing overall quality of life are vital for building sustainable communities. However, to deliver these social benefits, one of the conditions is that there is equitable access for residents, both in the new development and for the existing community. The results of the study indicate that this condition is vulnerable in several of the futures analysed. It is important for planners to take account of these findings in order to ensure the Luneside East development will meet its social sustainability objectives both now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployable output (source availability) from water resources in north west England is predicted to decrease over the next 25 years. Alternative supply management strategies are planned to help avoid a deficit in the supply-demand balance within the region but have yet to be considered in detail. This paper assesses the contribution of such an alternative supply strategy at local level on the water resource supply-demand balance at regional level based on a proposed urban regeneration site in north west England. Various water conservation and reuse measures are investigated considering local and regional conditions and constraints. Four future scenarios are presented and used to describe how the future might be (rather than how it will be), to allow an assessment to be made of how current 'sustainable solutions' might cope whatever the future holds. The analysis determines the solution contributions under each future and indicates that some strategies will deliver their full intended benefits under scenarios least expected but most needed. It is recommended that to help reduce the regional supply-demand deficit and maximise system resilience to future change, a wide range of water demand management measures should be incorporated on this and other sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong sustainability credentials are now considered an important aspect of any new urban development. However, actions to improve sustainability (described here as solutions) must not only perform under present conditions but must also continue to deliver their benefits however the future develops. This paper examines sustainability with respect to air quality (AQ) for a 6·6 ha case study in Lancaster, UK. The impacts of the proposed development on concentrations of the pollutants nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter and on air temperature are considered. The aspects of the development designed to enhance its sustainability for AQ, either explicitly or implicitly, include making the development permeable to non-motorised transport, providing new and appropriate bus routes, and minimising car parking space. Further important aspects of the design are highlighted, including tree planting, building form and albedo. The resilience of these solutions to future change is assessed using a scenarios-based futures analysis and the future resilience of many of the proposed solutions is shown to be uncertain. This is particularly the case for those solutions that rely on policy or maintenance to maintain their efficacy. The importance of developing cross-disciplinary sustainability solutions to enhance resilience is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwelling density is a tool used to predict, describe and control land use. Through policy guidance, targets are created that promote efficient use of land, reduce the operation of private transportation and increase mixed use. However, decision makers often are unsure how these targets translate into practice at the site scale and how sustainability is impacted. This paper examines one such site in Lancaster, in the northwest of the UK - Luneside East. Local authority policy on dwelling density, both at the site and local scale, is outlined. A sustainability solution (i.e. an action taken today in the name of sustainability) and intended benefit are taken from the policy (i.e. high dwelling density to improve efficiency of land use) and analysed using a futures methodology to understand whether the solution is resilient to whatever the future holds. The analysis is discussed alongside other sustainability issues and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years a fast-growing literature has developed around the notion of sociotechnical transitions and the possibilities for governing `system innovations' towards sustain- ability. Government policies are assumed to play an important role in such processes. However, an important critique has suggested not to see these transition processes as politically neutral but to pay more attention to the politics of these processes. With this paper I make a contribution towards this debate by analysing the underlying political processes and their institutional contexts which led to two quite different approaches aimed at promoting system innovations in the UK and the Netherlands. The main question I answer is why the two governments engage with the same challenge in such different ways. Building on a discursive-institutionalist perspective based on the work of Hajer and Schmidt, I highlight the interplay of discourses, institutional contexts, and interests in shaping policy initiatives to promote system innovations. I conclude by suggesting a typology of possible relation- ships between these variables and expected policy outputs which helps to explain the two case studies and is believed to be applicable more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, the High Speed 1 project formally pioneered on a large scale the earthworks design philosophy of maximising reuse of excavated materials and minimising waste. Now, in 2011, it is considered best practice for sustainable earthworks on all major infrastructure projects. This philosophy was a requirement of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996, and a waste minimisation hierarchy was therefore included within construction specifications. This paper presents two different solutions found on one contract to enable two difficult silty soils, which would historically have gone to mitigation or taken off site, to be successfully retained and used as engineered fill. The first soil was quarry overburden material of Thanet Sand with considerably varying optimum moisture contents. A 'family of curves' approach was developed to enable rapid single-point compaction testing to predict optimum moisture contents. The second was an artificial soil called cement kiln dust, generated as a by-product of cement manufacture. This material had a high silt proportion, and very high natural and optimum moisture contents, and was in a condition much wetter than optimum. A strength-based end-product acceptance criterion was developed using a CBR MEXE probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a critical examination of London's governmental and planning structures and its commitments to creating a sustainable city. Governing a world city like London has always been a difficult process. Legislative commitments to address London's sustainable future have sometimes been undermined by different policy interpretations by different key players over different time periods. This has created a fluid and diverse structure of governance that enables short-term policy shifts but which threatens longer term strategic sustainability policy commitments. These interpretations have occurred against an ongoing and contentious political debate over powers and responsibilities between different scales of the state, and the rights to make key decisions affecting London's future. This has resulted in a policy and governmental structure that is highly dependent on negotiation and compromise and one that employs a variety of policy tools, information and persuasion, financial incentives, and collaboration, to achieve a balanced form of governance. This flexible arrangement enables divergent public attitudes towards sustainability and climate change to be harnessed but may not deliver long term urban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review the current policy approach to skills and knowledge for sustainable communities. The aspatial and target-led nature of these approaches around the attainment of fixed skill sets is discussed and then contrasted with educationalist literatures which provide an alternative pedagogical approach to learning. That is, one that places a much greater emphasis on 'learners' as individuals and `learning' as achieved through experience. The role and influence of people in place are implicit within these `learner-centred' models. This reflects an understanding of the need to approach learning strategies in a way that relates to people's everyday lives. Drawing on ongoing empirical research conducted in the English town of Stroud (Gloucestershire, UK), we demonstrate some of the insights which can be gained from understanding skills and knowledge for sustainable communities in the context of these more experiential and process-orientated approaches. We do so by looking at the accounts and practices not of professionals, but of community members who are actively engaged with sustainable communities initiatives. We explore the relationships between their knowledge and understandings of sustainability and how they have sought to encompass and actively develop principles of sustainable communities as part of their everyday lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the wide usage and popular appeal of the concept of sustainability in UK policy, it does not appear to have challenged the status quo in urban regeneration because policy is not leading in its conceptualisation and therefore implementation. This paper investigates how sustainability has been conceptualised in a case-based research study of the regeneration of Eastside in Birmingham, UK, through policy and other documents, and finds that conceptualisations of sustainability are fundamentally limited. The conceptualisation of sustainability operating within urban regeneration schemes should powerfully shape how they make manifest (or do not) the principles of sustainable development. Documents guide, but people implement regeneration— and the disparate conceptualisations of stakeholders demonstrate even less coherence than policy. The actions towards achieving sustainability have become a policy ‘fix’ in Eastside: a necessary feature of urban policy discourse that is limited to solutions within market-based constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Urban design and sustainability are critical issues in creating better urban environments. The UK government is endorsing sustainability through its sustainable communities agenda and is urging the public, private and third sectors to emphasise high quality design in their urban development projects. However, with little guidance as to how to design sustainable urban development projects, decision-makers may end up wasting time, money and resources in projects that are unsustainable for themselves, the community and beyond. One option for decision-makers is loosely to follow a generic process for urban design that demonstrates, by way of a series of stages and activities, when to make decisions and to consider sustainability, what tools are needed to make decisions and who should be making decisions. To further the understanding of the use of a process in sustainable urban design decision-making, a baseline model was first created that amalgamates stages and activities from relevant processes found in a variety of disciplines and professions. A case study was then conducted, showing the process for the urban design and development of Brewhouse Yard, Clerkenwell, London. Through analysis of interviews, archival material and site analysis, three distinct periods of the process were discerned. These periods are discussed by way of process stages, decisions, tools and sustainability. The paper then compares this process with the baseline process to understand how the former can help improve the latter as a tool for assisting decision-makers in creating more sustainable urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local authorities are under pressure to deliver cost-effective, sustainable highway maintenance, which meets the needs of all road users. This paper investigates whether the best value performance indicator for principal roads in England is assisting in provision of 'best value' to all stakeholders. Most local authorities who took part in research carried out by the author are dissatisfied with their highway maintenance budget allocation. In addition, a significant proportion of authorities are prepared to carry out surface treatment (resurfacing) as opposed to deeper treatments (structural maintenance), even though this may result in roads being treated more frequently. The main recommendations from the study are that local authorities should carry out network condition surveys in accordance with current guidelines, to obtain the best possible information regarding the condition of their road network. Also, authorities should consider applying thinner treatments to their road networks to spread maintenance budgets 'as far as possible'. It is, however, noted that such treatments will not be appropriate in all situations. Fewer annual changes to the indicator (BVPI 223 until financial year 2007/08) should also prove beneficial in terms of consistency of the annual values calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Water stress is becoming a permanent feature of life in Britain and other developed societies, and attempts to change ‘consumer behaviour’ are at the forefront of strategies for sustainability. This paper combines historical, geographical and sociological perspectives on the evolution of drought and water demand in modern England and Wales. Droughts have natural properties but their course, size and distribution is also the result of an interplay between governance, social norms and everyday practices. Focusing on seven significant droughts between 1893 and 2006, this article traces changing understandings of ‘normal’ water consumption and ‘rational’ demand and relates them to the evolving socio-technical management of water and identities of ‘the consumer’. We challenge the idea of a watershed between private supply (associated with passive ‘customers’) and public ownership (associated with active ‘citizens’). While private systems facilitated self-organised civic action more easily than public supply, the ideal of a citizen-contract blinded systems of public provision to the problem of expanding water use. An interdisciplinary analysis of droughts in the past offers lessons for the debate about sustainable consumption today. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

How sustainable is a transport scheme is not easy to define. There are certain aspects in which schemes as the London congestion charge can or can't contribute to the improvement of the quality of life and the rational use of resources. Through 3 criteria: economic, social and environmental, the following paper reviews the characteristics of this transport scheme based on the concept of sustainable mobility to conclude that socially speaking it has been successful while economically it can be improved while its environmental effects are still to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bentley Bulk local food initiative was piloted in Manchester in 2003 with the aim of creating a “Healthy Local Food System”. It combined education in food, training in horticulture and work on a local market garden with a food buying co-operative and placed these within the context of a local currency. It is argued that, by operating at the nexus of sustainability and justice, the project can be seen as an example of Just Sustainability in the UK. Just Sustainability provides a framework for a discussion of the issues in taking the project from theory into practice. In particular, the paper looks at the challenge of reaching out to the “non-usual suspects”, making organic food more socially inclusive, linking community projects with larger-scale environmental issues, and the ethics of volunteering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is becoming a very important issue in contaminated land remediation and should form one of the factors used in future selection of treatment technologies. In situ stabilisation/solidification (S/S) is a remediation technique that is increasingly being applied to the treatment of contaminated sites because of numerous advantages over other remediation techniques. This paper assesses and compares aspects of the technical sustainability of in situ S/S with landfilling. Criteria previously established for the assessment of the technical sustainability of the remediation of contaminated land are employed. The comparison is presented in the form of a case study based on a real remediation project in the UK. The analysis indicated that landfilling had a larger impact than S/S in the majority of areas investigated, such as waste production (1000kg waste/t soil remediated for landfilling compared to none for S/S), transportation (12. 9km/t for landfilling, 0. 4km/t for S/S) and use of raw materials (1005. 5kg/t for landfilling, 88. 9kg/t for S/S), although S/S had high greenhouse gas emissions (12. 6kg/t for landfilling, 40. 9kg/t for S/S). In addition, a multi-criteria/cost-effectiveness analysis gave cost effectiveness scores of −34. 2 to S/S and −138. 1 to landfill (where more positive is better). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]