Sustainable Communities

The Government’s Sustainable Communities agenda is an ambitious initiative designed to create rural and urban communities where people want to live. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) defines Sustainable Communities as having:

• A flourishing local economy to provide jobs and wealth;
• Strong leadership to respond positively to change;
• Effective engagement and participation by local people, groups and businesses, especially in the planning, design and longterm stewardship of their community, and an active voluntary and community sector;
• A safe and healthy local environment with well-designed public and green space;
• Sufficient size, scale and density, and the right layout to support basic amenities in the neighbourhood and minimise use of resources (including land);
• Good public transport and other transport infrastructure both within the community and linking it to urban, rural and regional centres; 
• Buildings - both individually and collectively - that can meet different needs over time, and that minimise the use of resources;
• A well-integrated mix of decent homes of different types and tenures to support a range of household sizes, ages and incomes; 
• Good quality local public services, including education and training opportunities, health care and community facilities, especially for leisure;
• A diverse, vibrant and creative local culture, encouraging pride in the community and cohesion within it; 
• A "sense of place"; 
• The right links with the wider regional, national and international community.

Museums, Libraries and Archives and Sustainable Communities

Museums, libraries and archives are already contributing to the achievement of sustainable communities, and have great potential to realise these ambitions in new, regenerating and developing communities such as those associated with the Northern Way, the Growth Areas of the South and South East, and Growth Points.

Museums, libraries and archives contribute directly to many of the features of what makes a sustainable community, and along with other cultural services lay the foundations for sustainable communities in fostering social capital. MLA outlined the contribution that our sector makes in its publication Communities need Museums, Libraries and Archives (PDF 804KB). 

We have also undertaken a policy mapping exercise on Sustainable Communities as part of  communities and inclusion strand of the New Directions in Social Policy (Word 225KB)   project .

Museums, Libraries, Archives and spatial planning

To realise our sector’s contribution to Sustainable Communities, particularly in areas of growth, entails engaging with the planning system.

MLA South East

MLA South East have produced a report Museum, Library and Archive Provision and New Development in the south East (PDF)  outlining new opportunities for securing funding for museums, libraries and archives faced with the challenge of providing services for increasing numbers of local residents. The report helps local authorities ensure that the right planning guidance is in place to raise funds for museums, libraries and archives by providing a guide to the key ingredients of a successful local planning scheme and examples of good practice. It is of use to councils over the whole country. 

Where we Live – Realising the cultural offer to Sustainable Communities

MLA recognises that our sector’s contribution to Sustainable Communities is often best realised as part of a wider offer from culture and sport. To this end, we have reached an agreement Culture and Sustainable Communities Joint Agreement (PDF 54KB)  with DCLG, DCMS, Sport England, Arts Council England, English Heritage, CABE and the Regional Cultural Consortia where we state our shared commitment to the place of culture in creating Sustainable Communities, and to working together as a partnership to achieve this. Our partnership is called Where we Live.

This has built upon a report, Developing the Cultural Offer to Sustainable Communities  commissioned by MLA, along with our partners in Sport England, Arts Council England, English Heritage and CABE.