{"id":68433,"date":"2023-01-25T09:18:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T09:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/?p=68433"},"modified":"2023-02-03T10:31:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T10:31:19","slug":"new-research-explores-solutions-for-building-resilient-communities-and-tackling-geographic-inequalities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/news\/new-research-explores-solutions-for-building-resilient-communities-and-tackling-geographic-inequalities\/","title":{"rendered":"New research explores solutions for building resilient communities and tackling geographic inequalities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Power to Change and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk\">British Academy<\/a>, together with the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk\/\"> Bennett Institute for Public Policy<\/a> and the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youngfoundation.org\/institute-for-community-studies\/\"> Institute for Community Studies<\/a>, have today published research from a collaborative programme &#8211; chaired by Dame Julia Unwin &#8211; exploring how social infrastructure contributes to communities\u2019 wellbeing, helps develop their resilience and tackles deepening geographic inequalities.<\/p>\n<p>Social infrastructure represents the places \u2013 such as local libraries, village halls, pubs and community centres \u2013 as well as the crucial organisations and support structures that enable communities to form and sustain relationships that help them to thrive.<\/p>\n<p>The Academy\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk\/projects\/covid-decade\/\"> <i>COVID Decade<\/i><\/a> research programme, which explored the long-term societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, found that communities that entered the pandemic with strong social infrastructure were best placed to respond, as they were more resilient and benefited from strong community support and relationships. This new research programme, led by the British Academy and Power to Change, and conducted by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and the Institute for Community Studies at The Young Foundation, explores the features and socioeconomic impact of social infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that place and geography matter to people in times of uncertainty. People placed great value on local green spaces and open spaces during Covid lockdowns for recreation and socialising. But the pandemic also showed us that the impact of crises \u2013 and the policy response to them \u2013 does not affect all places and communities equally. This collaborative research programme has sought to understand how communities can be supported in these challenging times, and in particular, how policymakers can provide support and engage with these vital spaces.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk\/publications\/space-for-community-strengthening-our-social-infrastructure\/\"><i>Space for Community: Strengthening our Social Infrastructure <\/i><\/a>brings together the programme\u2019s findings and sets out several considerations for policymakers and sector leaders to help ensure social infrastructure is effective. These are to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Make social infrastructure open, accessible and inclusive<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include community voices to understand local concerns and demands<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Account for and manage tensions between the different purposes of social infrastructure<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Pay close attention to and harness the private sector\u2019s role in shaping and providing social infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dame Julia Unwin, Chair of the Programme\u2019s Advisory Group, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of social infrastructure in times of crisis, as well as the unequal impacts of such crises on different communities. As we face a &#8216;polycrisis&#8217; of interconnected social, economic, health, and climatic challenges, it is more important than ever to prioritise and invest in the infrastructure that helps communities thrive. This research programme has studied the importance of social infrastructure in communities internationally and in England, finding that social infrastructure is central to providing hope and support for communities, particularly when led by individuals with a deep understanding of and connection to those communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ailbhe McNabola, Director of Policy and Communications at Power to Change, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the government is to succeed in addressing regional inequality, it must better understand the impact of social infrastructure and how it can support prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunity businesses are integral to our social infrastructure.\u00a0 And when services, spaces and systems are owned by the community they serve, they offer better value for the public purse, keep resources and jobs local, create community wealth and build economically resilient places.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis research is therefore essential if we are to deepen policy makers&#8217; understanding of social infrastructure, rooted in the evidence about what matters to communities in their places.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hetan Shah, the British Academy\u2019s Chief Executive, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis research highlights the crucial yet often overlooked role that social infrastructure plays in society. From parks and schools to libraries and sports centres, places for the community to come together create social, cultural and economic benefits. They bring people together, foster a sense of community, and provide opportunities for learning, growth, and recreation. Governments recognise the value of investing in physical infrastructure \u2013 this research shows the importance of also supporting communities through the social infrastructure they need to come together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Space-for-community-strengthening-our-social-infrastructure.pdf&#8221; button_text=&#8221;Read the report&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new report by the British Academy and Power to Change explores how social infrastructure contributes to communities\u2019 wellbeing, helps develop their resilience and tackles deepening geographic inequalities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":68527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[338,350,349,443],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68433"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}