Nicola Bacon's presentation to RTPI Scotland's centenary conference in Glasgow in October 2014 on Social Life's work on social sustainability, how this can be understood, actioned and measured.

1. Designing for social sustainability
RTPI Scotland Centenary Conference
7th October 2014

2. Social Life’s aim is to put people at the heart of
placemaking, we work in the UK and
internationally.

4. We continue to build neighbourhoods that fail to
thrive as flourishing communities

5. Where are the people?

6. 200 years plus of large-scale planned new communities in the
UK but still relatively little known about what makes places
thrive and how to support social life of places.

7. The first question: what is a
community?
Source: Egan Review 2004

8. An alternative view
• Physical boundaries to promote
geographical identity
• Local myths & stories
• Strong social relationships, networks &
bonds
• Rituals and rhythms
• Shared belief systems, garden cities,
new towns, eco-cities
• Visible leadership.

9. What is social sustainability?
“A process for creating sustainable, successful places that
promote wellbeing, by understanding what people need
from the places they live and work.
Social sustainability combines design of the physical
realm with design of the social world – infrastructure to
support social and cultural life, social amenities, systems
for citizen engagement and space for people and places
to evolve.”
Source: Social Life (2012). Design for Social Sustainability: a framework for creating thriving
communities.

10. Designing for social sustainability?

11. A framework for social sustainability

12. Summer 2014: benchmarking the Aylesbury
estate, Southwark – ongoing monitoring and
learning for next 20 years

13. Working with the Swedish city of Malmö: how
can we put people at the centre of placemaking in
Lindängen?
13

14. Measuring social sustainability

15. • Pic and v short description
We have developed a social sustainability
measurement framework for The Berkeley Group

16. Empire Square Imperial Wharf
Knowle Village The Hamptons

17. And
We have just finished a social sustainability toolkit
for Sutton Council in South London

18. Bed
Voice & inÁ uence Amenities & infrastructure Social & Cultural Life Adaptability & Resilience
Piloted in Beddington

19. New pilot starting now for Genesis Housing Association
in Shoreditch with Commonplace – collecting social
sustainability data from residents digitally.

20. We have learnt that social
sustainability is:
• A valuable tool for thinking
differently about place
• Not fully covered by existing
frameworks
• A way of bringing in concepts that
challenge conventional views
• Capable of being understood,
quantified & actioned
• An evolving field internationally.

21. social-life.co
nicola.bacon@social-life.co
@SL_Cities