Methodology
This project draws upon a range of different empirical methods and compliments new research initiatives with existing BRASS outputs. It is specifically designed to build upon and add value to existing work and data and integrate this with new thinking, ideas and knowledge in the development of the skills and practices required for the pursuit of more sustainable communities.
A key innovation of the project includes the creation of a virtual community that provides a snapshot of the key characteristics and sustainability issues/concerns likely to exist in English communities. The model will allow the BRASS research team to highlight a number of issues that communities consider important in addressing sustainability. Key phases in the development of the ‘virtual community’ involved:
• Literature review of the components and issues that make up communities and are likely to be key in moving towards sustainability actions.
• Twelve sustainable community initiatives were examined that related to the four production and consumptions areas of sustainability that include energy, transport, the home, and food (see Tukker et al., 2006), and the cross cutting theme of community engagement. Eight of the examples were drawn from existing work in the ESRC BRASS Research Centre and four were from new empirical research. Each example was selected in order to engage with the skills and knowledge required to implement, and sustain the initiative. The latter four initiatives of a community supported agriculture project, a co-housing development, a car club, and an affordable housing project, are all situated within one case study area in the English town of Stroud. This empirical research was conducted in the summer of 2008.
The research in Stroud drew upon a mixed method approach including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and focus groups:
• In-depth interviews were conducted with community members who are currently involved with sustainability projects in Stroud, with a particular focus on their knowledgeable practices and practical knowledges (Ingold, 2000).
• Participant observation took place (and is still continuing) in the form of informally attending meetings of local community groups; working with members of the community supported agriculture scheme and local allotment members on the land; participating in shared meals and assisting with the construction of a hand crafted bread-making oven at the Springhill co-housing site; and attending a range of community events and talks focused on various aspects of sustainability, such as a ‘Stroud Open Homes’ weekend. This community access formed an integral part of gaining such rich empirical material.
• Two focus groups, with fifteen key stakeholder participants, were held towards the end of the fieldwork phase, with the aim of feeding back, discussing emerging findings, and explaining how these findings would be used to produce a ‘Guidance for Communities’. This guidance is not a prescriptive ‘recipe book’ for sustainable communities, rather it provides a series of questions and resources that may assist communities in identifying where they might need further support in pursuing local sustainability initiatives. A range of academic journal papers, policy briefings, media outputs, and a final project report supports this guidance.
