Do I live in a 'Sustainable Community' ?

My Super Out-put Area is Luton 021F. It contains approximately 13 roads, and is about 0.55 miles from the Town Centre, which is a 10minute walk from the closest edge of the SOA. In the 2001 census a total of 742 males and 636 females recorded, with an overall population for the SOA of 1,378. Although 895 people of the SOA population in 2001 were of 'Good health'.

According to the 2001 census; 25.63% of people between the ages of 16-74, who lived in my SOA at the time had now qualifications. This is almost one quarter of the population of the SOA (353 people) with no qualification. Even though this stastic may at first sound surprisingly high, it is more surprising to think that the percentage for the East of England is 27.94%, and the percentage for England as a whole is 28.85%.

To what extent your ward/SOA resembles a 'sustainable community' ?

What is a 'Sustainable Community' ?

As defined by the 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan, a 'sustainable community' is;

"...not just a significant increase in the resources and major reforms of housing and planning, but a new approach to how we build and what we build..."

Going by the definition above, my SOA does not greatly resemble any real aspects of a 'sustainable community'. There are no current developments on a large scale, or very noticeable on-going at present. Although there has been a recent alteration to a public recreational park on the border of the SOA. The park has been created to be more suitable and more pleasing to the eye, to almost blend into the surrounding. The use of bright colours is most likely to create awareness for the users of the park.

A recent development at the one of the far corners of my SOA, was the redevelopment of former head office of the insurance giant Zurich Plc and the former Luton Chamber of Commerce into the new "Icon Hotel" which was featured on Channel 4's Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue. This was shown a few months ago and saw the building and its use, be totally transformed into a sucessful new business. However, apart from this, I cannot recall any real developments in recent years which could be counted as being sustainable development. The reason I see this as a sustainable development is because the building has been abandoned for several year, maybe more. Although now it has a new lease of life, with the present occupants making revenue, they should be able to take care of any necessary repair. In the bigger picture it saves pollution from the building being demolished and having another built in its place. You could argue that this would be the same even if the building had remained abandoned, but then it may have needed to be demolished after a point. You could potentially also argue that over the next few years (providing the hotel stays over and operational), the transportation used in bring guests to and from the hotel could out-weigh the pollution which would have been produced from the demolishion of the old build. Having the building now as a hotel, is good for the local economy as the hotel brings in more visitors to the town and is conveniently close to the town's main shopping centre.

The Icon Hotel

To what extent do you think that your ward/SOA does not resemble a 'sustainable community'?

I don't think that my SOA does resemble many aspects of a sustainable community because there is no real evidence to show any kind of development except that stated above. This leads me to think that my community is not a sustainable community. Perhap maybe it is... because if there is no development can this too not be sustainable? For example, if a coastal town grew to a large size and then places a 'green belt zone' around itself. Then expanded further to the edge of the 'green belt zone', it would not be able to expand further still unless it build into the 'green belt zone' as it could not expand into the sea. Could this town then be sustainable if it was able to thrive at its present size? In the definition given above, it states that a 'sustainable community' involves; "...a new approach to how we build and what we build... ". If the town could not expand and grow out-wards, it could still be sustainable if it were able to find 'a new approach' to how we build, allowing it to expand and grow within itself. This, in theory at least would then make it more of a 'sustainable community'.

REFERENCES

Office of National Statistics (N.D). Neighbourhood Statistics [online]. Available from: Ward and Super out-put area statistics
(Accessed: 1st April 2010)

Channel 4 (2010). Ruth Watson's hotel Rescue: Weds, 8pm, C4 [online]. Available from:
Image of the Icon Hotel, from Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue on Channel 4 (Accessed 31st March 2010).

The Icon Hotel (2010). Information and bookings [online]. (Updated March 2010) Available at:
www.iconhotelluton.com/ (Accessed: 31st March 2010).

Is transport sustainable?

At the moment the theme in class is sustainable travel. Transport undoubtedly has had a major influence on economic and social development facilitating the movement of goods, people and ideas. Greater accessibility, mobility and communication has shaped the type of global society we live in today.

But is there a cost? Environmentalists will emphasize the problems associated with unlimited travel - depletion of fossil fuels, local air pollution, emissions of greenhouse gases, congestion and accidents, destruction of the countryside and the expansion of land under concrete to name but a few. Even our over-reliance on motorized transport has been linked to a general lack of fitness in the population at large.

What are your views?

Perhaps it is a good thing that we live in a world (or more rather, a part of the world) where we are able to travel almost as we please and go to practically anywhere, without any real restrictions except the cost of travel. Be it in the air in a plane, by sea on a ferry or by land in a car, or any other means of transport. However, for every journey someone makes there is still the same things produced: pollution. Even with new technologies such as the hydrogen fuel-cell cars, there is still pollution in the form of Water Vapour. It is controversially and widely debated that water vapour is one of the main contributor to 'The Greenhouse Effect'. Therefore even if everyone changed over to use Hydrogen fuel-cell cars there still be a significant problem of 'The Greenhouse effect'. There would also still be a problem if everyone used an electric car because unless it is possible to find a new, alternative way of producing enough power to run the cars, there will still be pollution produced in the generation of the electricity. Additionally there will be further pollution created in the manufacture of the vehicles.

Is there really a transport problem?

There most definately is a transport problem. Everywhere you go, and almost everywhere you look in the United Kingdom, there is transportation in one form or another. If you look in the sky on a clear day there is a high chance you will see aeroplane contrails. If you look at or travel on most roads in the UK, there is usually some transport in one form or another. In the majority of cities in the UK, but also in recent decade now in towns too, there is a lot of congestion during 'Peak times', also known as Rush hour. This is a result of everyone trying to travel at the same time and creating large traffic jams, sometimes known as 'bottle necks' because it is like everyone is trying to get through a small space all at once. This is much like in a bottle when tipped up-side-down and all the liquid tries to come out, although only a limited amount can escape at a time. Congestion in some places has become so bad, for example in the City of London in 2003, Ken Livingstone (the Major of London at the time) imposed a 'Conjestion Charging' scheme in an attempt to reduce the amount of traffic in the city. Surely this begs the question... can a city, or for that matter, a country have a sustainable transport network if there needs to be congestion charging? The answer is, it cannot.

Do the benefits of motorized transport outweigh the costs?

The main benefits of having motorized transportation are that it is reasonably efficient, fast, affordable and convenient mode of transporting people, goods and services from one place to another. This suits most companies on a large and small scale as well as the individual (driving their cars).

As more and more people are taking to the road and driving on more single occuapancy journeys, this is increasing the amount of pollution being produced. This also increases the risk to human health as there will be more poisonous and harmful gases in the air such as Carbon Monoxide which has been linked to some people suffering from breathing difficulties.

Likewise, with more vehicles on the roads, there will be a greater effect on the environment. One main outcome from having more traffic on the roads is that there will be more animals knocked-down. Also, as more and more vehicles will be on the roads, this will increase conjestion and this usually means that councils, etc. typically choose to build more roads. However, of course this means that some land usually has to be allocated for the construction of the roads. Very often these new roads are built in the form of 'by-passes' and these tend to go around towns and cities; passing through fields and sometimes green-field site. The outcome of this is that the noise from the new roads can cause some animals to move away from the roads and into new habitats. Although the bigger impact from new roads is that the land which these are built is cleared and in this process, some habitats are destroyed.

The present transportation system is a very key part of the country as it enables the movement of people, goods and services throughout the country and the UK. If for example, all transportation (roads, rail, etc.) were removed over-night, the whole country's economy could collapse. This is why it is so to maintain the present transportation network. One way in which the present transportation network is currently being expanded is with the widening of the M1 motorway. This is to allow a greater number of vehicles to travel on the road, especially as the majority of goods is transported around the country by roads nowadays.

Are there any minor (or perhaps major) changes you personally feel could make our present transport system more sustainable?

In my opinion, one thing that could make the present transport system more sustainable is if people drove less often and for shorter distances. This seems like an obivous thing and has been suggested by the government's Department of Tranport... By driving just a few miles a week, if everyone did this, it would still help to reduce the amount of pollution being created in the local area. If this was then rolled out on a national scale it could have a far greater influence to reducing the total pollution caused by transport.

Public transport is something that is widely debated as to whether it is value for money. I can personally say from using public transport for many years, it can be expensive, but more expensive for short journeys. There is a lot that could be done to improve the persent public transport system such as, ensuring that buses arrive at the times which are published on the timetables issued. Public transport is best avoided in extremely bad weather conditions like snow and in these conditions it may be seen as being more beneficial to travel by car. This said, it is not very safe to do so and therefore by using public transport you at least have an excuse for being late to your destination. Overall the trains are much more efficient and punctual than buses.

If public transport was nationalised or at leasts some routes were nationalised this could greatly increase the number of people using it, because it then the costs could be reduced. Although if public transport was subsided by the Department of Transport this could encourage a far larger number of people to use public transport. Better still... as outlandish as it may sound, what if Public Transport was made FREE?

REFERENCES

Larry West (2010). What is the Greenhouse Effect? [online]. Available from:
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/greenhouse.htm
(Accessed: 25th March 2010).

Transport for London (2010). Congestion Charging [online]. Available from: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/ (Accessed 26th March 2010).

Department for Transport (N.D) Public Transport [online]. Available from: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/public/
(Accessed: 26th March 2010).

It's your country too... so who is going to run it?

Education for sustainable development also includes learners making aware of their role as 'active citizens'. studies of 'citizenship' are intended to equip students with their knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. it helps learners become informed, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work together to take action in their communities.

It is important to know about rights, responsibilities, duties and freedoms and about laws, justice and democracy. Citizenship encourages respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities.

For the blogprompt this week first we want you to do a bit of research.


Find out:

What is the constituency in which you live: Luton South

Who is your local MP (Name and party,etc): Margret Moran

What is the name of your local council: Luton Borough Council??

Which political party dominates your local council: Labour

Secondly

2010 is election year.
What is your attitude concerning people who are not planning to vote in the general election?

I think that it is outrageous that people can even consider not voting in the general election (if they are of voting age)!! If they are not registered, that may be for a reason however, what reason can possibly be good enough to warrant not voting, especially women. This is because Emily Pankhurst did not front the 'women's movement' for no reason. She did it because it was something she strongly believed in, something she was passionate about. If Emilywas still alive, I am sure she would be astonished to find that there are many women in the UK who do not vote, even after what she did to enable women to have the opportunity to vote. Although, is that all it is nowadays? Is it just a simple matter of having the opportunity? Or is it more than that?

A vote... it an opportunity, a chance to make a choice. It is a chance to make a decision for the party which best represents your views. It is also a chance to perhaps, if you wish, to make a decision at random. For example you could make a vote based on the name of the party you like the best (without even reading what they represent). A vote can be a very powerful thing. It can come down to a small number of votes which decide who wins the election. Even though the vote is calculated by the number of seats in parliment, it only takes a few votes for a party to secure a seat.

A vote is not something which should be wasted, or used lightly. A vote is the way in which society and communities decide how they want to be run between elections. "It only takes a small amount of snow to cause an avalanche." The same can be seen with an election, if enough people can be swayed to vote for a particular party, the party will gain seats. In the election in 2009 to decide on EU parties, even the BNP managed to gain a seat.

"The Labour Party will fight every inch of the way. We've known what it is to lose and we've known what it is to win and we are determined to fight our way to win. And not for our interests but for the interests of the country."

Gordon Brown on the General Election (January 3rd, 2010)

http://www.greatpersonalities.com/gordon-brown/index.htm

David Cameron - Conservatives

"We will be tested. I will be tested. I'm ready for that - and so I believe, are the British people. So yes, there is a steep climb ahead. But I tell you this. The view from the summit will be worth it."

David Cameron at the Conservative/'Tory' Conference(October 8th, 2009)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/08/david-cameron-speech-key-quotes

Nick Clegg - Liberal Democrats ('Lib dems')

"I believe that liberalism is the thread that holds together everything that this country stands for. Pull out that thread and the fabric of our nation unravels. Above all our politics is broken, out of touch with people, out of touch with the modern world, and that is why I have one simple ambition, to change Britain, to make it the liberal country I believe the British people want it to be."

Nick Clegg after winning the Lib Dem leadership contest (December 18th, 2007)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7150426.stm

OR

Could there be someone-else? Is it reasonable to think that someone different to the usual three main parties could have an influence on the potential outcome of the next General election because after all, anything is possible.

What main concerns do you have that may influence your vote?

One thing that may influence my vote at the General Election is where a party set out targets in their speeches but do not follow-through when they are elected. I am sure this is not only going to influence my vote but also many other people's votes because I have heard people talking about this recently. Therefore it must be playing on their minds as they consider the different parties and their policies in the run-up to the election.

Another factor which could have an influence on my vote in the General Election is parties who have strong, controversial views. An example of a party who have view like these would be the 'British National Party'. It has been said that the 'BNP' are "Racist" because of some of their strong views.

An additional factor which could have an influence on which party I chose to vote for in the General Election is where parties have conflicting, or overlapping policies. For example, if the Labour party talked about a policy to do with housing and then the Conservative party also talked about a policy to do with housing this could make choosing between the two parties more difficult. It could potentially mean examining each of the parties' policies to compare the difference to see which is more favourable.

References

Below is a link to find local MPs:

NSPD (2008) Find your MP [Online](Updated February 11th 2010) Available at: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/constituencies/luton-south [Accessed: February 23rd 2010].

Below is the link to the quote by Gordon Brown (January 3rd, 2010)

Great Personalities (2010) Gordon Brown Quotes [Online] (Updated January 3rd 2010) Available at: http://www.greatpersonalities.com/gordon-brown/index.htm [Accessed: February 23rd 2010].

Below is the link to the quote by David Cameron

Guardian News and Media Limited (2010) David Cameron's speech: the key quotes [Online] (Updated: October 8th 2009) Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/08/david-cameron-speech-key-quotes [Accessed: February 23rd 2010].

Below is the link to the quote by Nick Clegg

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2010) In Quotes: Reaction to result [Online] (Updated: December 18th 2007) Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7150426.stm [Accessed: February 24th 2010].

People question mark
Accessed 2nd March 2010
http://s3.images.com/huge.10.50408.JPG

Gordon Brown pic
Accessed 2nd March 2010
http://www.preset.org/images/gordonbrown.jpg

David Cameron pic
Accessed 2nd March 2010
http://mkcommunists.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/david-cameron.jpg

Nick Clegg pic
Accessed 2nd March 2010
http://www.novamedia1999.co.uk/wmd/images/celebrities/nick_clegg_large.jpg