13/09/2021
Place Standard Tool with a climate lens: cocreating local climate solutions
Tackling the climate emergency is one
of the most serious issues facing our places. This project addresses the need
to include climate change issues within a discussion about place,
using the Place Standard Tool, and by doing so, maximising co-benefits to drive
fair and just solutions that also
support health, wellbeing and equality.
Recognised in the Programme for Government 2021-22, Scottish
Government commits to creating communities that embed low-carbon lifestyles,
while improving health and wellbeing. The Place Standard Tool with a climate
lens will play an important part in supporting this.
Project aims
The project aims to better
support new and existing users of the PST to consider climate
change in their placemaking. The new Place Standard tool with the climate
lens (PST CL) is intended to be used at any time when people want to
discuss the future of a place, and for considering how global trends will play
out in a local area.
This pilot phase is focused on
developing and refining the climate lens version of the PST, trialling at a
local scale. It aims to develop a robust evidence base for decision makers
and policy makers of the effectiveness of the PST process in delivering net
zero and climate ready places.
Pilots
During 2021 new
material including an evaluation framework and a guidance
document has been developed by the project team. A working version of
PST CL has been updated to allow consideration of climate
change alongside health, wellbeing and other significant aspects
shaped by places. We identified communities earlier in the year
and have worked with facilitators to review the guidance materials.
The first pilots are taking
place across Scotland, with several
local communities and
organisations, considering local responses to climate change.
PST encourages these responses to be imagined and designed
holistically to help achieve local priorities such as tackling
inequalities, urban regeneration, improving health and wellbeing and economic
opportunities. The first four pilots are:
- Edinburgh’s Thriving Green Places– The project aims to
shape an ambitious new vision for Edinburgh’s natural environment and
produce a 30-year strategy and action plan to protect and
enhance greenspaces with people at its heart. The project is led by
City of Edinburgh Council and the pilot took place with the communities
around Inch Park in the south of the city.
- Climate Ready Strathdon – Based in Aberdeenshire, this
localities project, led by Aberdeenshire Council is running placemaking
sessions in collaboration with the local school to feed into
what climate ready means for their local area. The project aims to use the
climate lens to provide a wider perspective of the challenges facing
their community and support the development of solutions that are
compatible with a net zero future.
- Greater Pollok placemaking – The project led by Glasgow
City Council focuses on the regeneration of Greater Pollok, an area
facing challenges of inequality and unemployment. Using place-based tools, the
project aims to address these challenges and connect the local
community to the landscape.
- Buckhaven neighbourhood plan – Using place-based techniques,
Fife Council is working with residents of Buckhaven south to create
a collaborative neighbourhood plan to develop the
local community that captures all local
voices and addresses the area’s inequalities.
Based on feedback
from these pilots which were held in late 2021, the draft guidance material has
been amended and is being further trialled in a second phase of pilot projects.
These pilots are located at:
· Stewarton, East
Ayrshire – this project sees Architecture and Design Scotland working alongside East
Ayrshire Council, community planning partners and planning professionals from Ryden,
Austin Smith Lord to prepare a Development Framework for Stewarton which
includes a greater emphasis on living locally and how the town could embody the
20 minute neighbourhood concept.
·
Climate Action Towns – The Climate Action
Towns project led by Architecture and Design Scotland is working with
community planning partners in 7 small towns across Scotland to tackle the
impacts of climate change through mitigation, adaptation, and behaviour change.
The PST CL was trialled at 2 climate action towns: Stevenston (North Ayrshire) and
Blackburn (West Lothian) to initiate collective action in small towns with
little previous experience of climate action and aims to foster long-lasting
systemic change to deliver co-ordinated local climate action.
· Live Life Morvern – Morvern Community Council, Morvern Community Trust and
Morvern Community Development Company are working with Planning Aid
Scotland (PAS) to cocreate a community place plan shaped by the aspirations and
concerns of local residents..
·
One
Carluke – One Carluke Area network (ONECAN) is working with South Lanarkshire
Council and other community planning partners to develop community led place
plans that include climate actions and reflect local priorities.
The feedback from piloting the PST
with the climate lens will be used to improve the guidance and facilitation
resources. A learning exchange event
will provide an opportunity for all those involved in the pilot to share their
insights – this will be held in April.
If you would like to find out more
about the status of this pilot, this slide deck provides the latest update.
The guidance material is still a
prototype and our intention is that once the wording is tested and refined it
will go through a design phase to create visually appealing materials that make
the tool more engaging and accessible, and tools to help facilitators get the
most out of their PST session.
If you would like to see the draft climate lens version of the Place
Standard please contact cat@sniffer.org.uk
We would ask that you treat the materials as a working draft at this
stage, and would appreciate it if you could provide details of where you will
be using this, so that your insights can shape our learning. A survey monkey
link is provided here so you can tell us
more about how you have used the climate lens and give feedback.
If you would like to know more please
reach out to Sam Whitmore at Public Health
Scotland or Cat Payne at Sniffer