Design for Social Sustainability – Saffron Woodcraft, 2010

Foundation identifies:
“When regeneration is
property-led, contracting
regimes impose their own
logic on investment and
hiring, and commitment
to local benefit is lost. Key
informants noted a common
requirement to spend public
funds quickly (called ‘frontending’)
to achieve early
visual results to boost
investor confidence and
lever in private funds. This
can push the development
process too fast to link it to
the requisite employment
strategy, and the community
participation, skills
assessment, training and
adult basic education which
needs to go with it.” 28
Innovative, socially responsible new business
models are needed to incentivise developers
to take a long-term interest and financial
stake in new communities. Evidence suggests
that the most successful developments
in Europe generally involve a partnership
between commercial providers and local
government with the private sector taking a
long-term stake in the development through
service charges or rental income. 29 Research
from the Chartered Institute of Housing
suggests that in the UK, the highest quality
and most successful schemes tend to be led
by non-commercial owners and developers. 30
“…One of the key determinants of high quality European
residential developments was the leading role played by
the local authority in setting the project on the right course
and in making sure quality was maintained to the end...
getting all the public stakeholders to work together seemed
much easier…often the project had been started by one
or more visionary leaders, but even more important, the
local authority had some financial capacity and the skills
to manage and direct the project itself. The private sector
was invariably involved but within a framework that was
strongly controlled and directed towards the vision that had
been set...many of the builders and investors were relatively
local.”
Beyond Eco-towns, applying the lessons from Europe, URBED, PRP Architects & Design for Homes (2008)
8. Outdoor Chess, Western China
18 DESIGN FOR SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN FOR SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY 19