The findings from our first Debate Place debate "What’s the reality of low carbon communities?"

The question proved highly stimulating and provoked a high level of interest from professionals and the public.

The debate highlighted the complexity of creating any new community, let alone a ‘low carbon’ one. Several comments related directly to the relevance and usefulness of having an opportunity to learn and share views within Debate Place.

Key Messages include:

1. We need to think carefully about the implications of locating new developments away from existing infrastructure. There was a strong consensus that we should instead focus on improving and increasing densities in existing towns and cities.
2. Subsidies should be increased and made widely available to enable homeowners to make their existing homes more energy efficient, and for homeowners and developers to install the most cost effective and appropriate micro-renewables.
3. More focus and resource needs to be put into community engagement and effective longterm management of new places to enable thriving and successful communities.
4. European models for housing, such as co-housing, should be considered as a part of UK home and community delivery models.
5. There should be more public and professional awareness of the importance of great design and place making.

» The full report is in the links on the right.