Local Governments are critical change agents in creating liveable, sustainable communities. They exert influence in planning and are responsible for local service delivery, and so control the key levers for creating such communities.
The arrival of a carbon price adds to the already strong business case for sustainable community design and planning. And make no mistake: a carbon price will bring changes that will mean real pain for many local communities, however much better off the national community might be at the end of the process.
Thriving Neighbourhoods, a conference organised by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, will explore the role of Local Governments in creating sustainable communities, and so cushion the pain of a low carbon economy.
It will examine the impact of the built and natural environments on residents’ health, wellbeing and productivity, and investigate how Local Governments engage their stakeholders in other sectors including property development, planning, parks and recreation, community health and other government sectors.
Martin Brennan, Conference Chair and ICLEI Oceania’s Senior Associate, said that locally designed initiatives provided the most effective way to achieve national and global sustainability objectives.
“Local Government areas are, in many senses, groups of neighbourhoods – and it is at this level that we can effectively tackle the many sustainability challenges we face,” said Councillor Rachel Powning, Mayor of the City of Port Phillip which is the conference’s principal partner.
Thriving Neighbourhoods is being held on 25 to 26 October 2011 at the St Kilda Town Hall. For more information go to thrivingneighbourhoods2011.org
