Sustainable Communities

Attempt any four questions.  Make use of diagrams, photos and maps where relevant.  Provide a list of key reference for your answers.

1. Discuss briefly key ideas behind a community participation model.  Explain the importance of community engagement in building sustainable communities.   
2. What are some of the key ideas around social sustainability? Provide some examples of ways you can make a city of your choice more socially sustainable
3. What are some of the key planning challenges in Aboriginal communities?  Explain them using a case study of an Aboriginal community from Australia or another country.
4. Discuss the evolving meaning of community planning with reference to key concepts.  Explain the strengths and weaknesses of three concepts of your choice.
5. Write short notes on any four:
   1. Subsidiarity and precautionary principles in sustainable development
   2. Cultural mapping 
   3. Social impact assessment
   4. Geographic and functional communities 
   5. Smart cities
   6. Master-planned communities 

7. Discuss some of the key principles of community services planning.  Explain some of the implementation mechanisms for community planning.

1. What are some of the key ideas around social sustainability? Provide some examples of ways you can make a city of your choice more socially sustainable

Social sustainability can be explained as the condition which enhances the life within the communities, and it also represents the process which is followed by the communities to achieve that condition (Certoma & Notteboom 2015). There are different approaches which can be used to attain social sustainability, and among those, the first process is the attainment of economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and cultural sustainability. The main ideas that are associated with social sustainability are illustrated as follows:

1. There has to be equality in providing access to important services like health, education, transport, housing and recreation.
2. There has to be equality between the generations, such that is the future generations will not be harmed by the activities of the present generations.
3. A system in which positive aspects of the culture that are associated with the communities are valued and protected, and there is support for the cultural integration of the people.
4. There has to be a sense of responsibility among the community members for the system and the transmission of the values of the communities. 
5. There have to be proper mechanisms for the community to identify its strengths and requirements. 
6. There have to be proper mechanisms that the community is able to fulfil its own needs through its actions.
7. There have to be proper mechanisms to indulge in political associations so that the meets which are not met by community actions can be fulfilled.

The City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia can be made socially sustainable if four factors are given stressed, which are; Amenities and social infrastructure, social and cultural life, voice and influence and the proper space to grow. To make the city more socially sustainable, more recreational facilities can be developed in the city. The city will also incorporate plans to recycle wastes and using more renewable sources of energy. More technology will be used to include every individual in the city into the schemes and services provided by the government. Local industries will be promoted, and skills will be imparted among the youth so that they can be entrepreneurs (McAreavey 2009).