Online workshop at #ESRCfestival

Innovations in Politics and Planning for Sustainable, Transformative Action

Online, 29 Nov 2021, 6-7.30pm (GMT)

Event Summary →

The aim of this event is to deepen our understanding of the relationship between politics and local governance that can affect sustainable outcomes. The session will provide insights on how to reorientate local institutions towards environmental benefits and social wellbeing where these involve working with local councillors, planners or other community groups interested in positively shaping where they live. In particular, the event will explore ‘Flatpack Democracy’, a local political movement that seeks to ‘break the mould’ of party-politics through the election of groups of independent councillors. We will reflect on the experiences of Frome (Somerset) and other places replicating this approach and discuss the reasons for success and challenges in moving beyond party-political approaches. The event will be informed by a survey carried out on the Flatpack 2021 National Campaign and research on stakeholder needs to monitor and evaluate climate and ecological emergencies. The session also aims to inform debates on the future of politics and placemaking in the context of post-Brexit and post-Covid recovery and renewal.

The event will assess the role of planning and independent/beyond party-political governance in supporting accelerated learning and action within the context of environmental and planning policies (such as the Environment Bill, the 10 Point Plan and the Future Homes Standard). It will also be a highly interactive event to reflect on strategies for accountable climate governance where climate emergencies have been declared. Participants are invited to contribute to the development of a conceptual framework to capture needs and resources that maximise climate knowledge-sharing and critically appraise different tools to measure progress on local-level sustainability and political transitions. Each session will be led by a speaker who will pose some questions for reflection and discussion through different breakout rooms. These will be captured through a network analysis using the Participatory Systems Mapping tool to document the issues raised. Sessions will include:

• An exploration of independent politics and how beyond-party politics could support innovations in local politics and climate action, and the implications for mainstream party politics in local decision-making.

• Planning and the role of low-carbon, health and wellbeing outcomes, sustainability transitions and the challenge of working to achieve these goals in practice at a local level.

• Tools and methods to communicate, monitor and evaluate progress towards environmental action at different scales and user groups and the role of technology in capturing and incentivising sustainable action.

• Plenary and how each of the sessions can lead to an integrated local action framework for effective sustainable action.

Speakers

• Amy Burnett. ESRC Post-doctoral Research Fellow, CES/CUSP, University of Surrey.
• Ian Christie. Senior Lecturer, CES/CUSP, University of Surrey.
• Peter Macfadyen. Co-founder of Independents for Frome and the independent political movement, Flatpack Democracy. Author of Flatpack Democracy: A DIY Guide to Creating Independent Politics (2014) and Flatpack Democracy: Power Tools for Reclaiming Local Politics (2019)
• Indra Adnan. Founder of The Alternative UK, author of The Politics of Waking Up: Power and Possibility in the Fractal Age (2021)

The event is of particular interest to those wanting to know more about alternative types of political approaches to stimulate radical local political transitions and tools for monitoring and evaluating sustainability at a local level. Local government, planning authorities, local councils, independent councillors, national media.

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