Active Communities
Environmental Exclusion Review for Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, ODPM
This report summarises the findings of a review of "Environmental Exclusion", undertaken by Brook Lyndhurst on behalf of the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Title: Environmental Exclusion Review for Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, ODPM - SUMMARY REPORT
Author: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
Number of pages: 17
Date published: July 2004
Key Findings
Public opinion suggests that 'liveability' issues are consistently felt more severely in deprived neighbourhoods. The Survey of English Housing (2001) demonstrates this pattern across a wide range of issues. The gap between deprived and other areas is evident across most issues, most notably in terms of crime, litter & rubbish, and vandalism.
Research continues to support the overall conclusion that poor environmental quality is closely linked to deprivation.
One of the key strengths of the environmental exclusion agenda is the support it provides to the profile of environmental issues in general.
The research recommends emphasising the importance of links between environmental issues and the public health agenda.
A wide range of things can be done in the short term, with relatively few additional resources required. The principal requirements are improved communication, co-ordination, and better community involvement.
There are several opportunities for cross-departmental government collaboration on environmental exclusion. The report recommends development of shared environmental Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets to ensure participating departments (The Home Office, Department of Health) have a stake in outcomes.
Cross-agency working is seen as a key means of tackling environmental exclusion 'on the ground'. Eg there is potential for neighbourhood wardens to work closely with local environmental services, social enterprises to work with voluntary groups etc
There appears a strong relationship between local environmental issues and community engagement. In many cases, local environmental projects provide a catalyst for community involvement. eg local 'clean ups' and food growing schemes
Environmental exclusion
'Environmental exclusion' concerns the relationship between deprived areas and poor environmental quality. This relationship has been the subject of increasing attention in the UK.
The NRU produced a policy and practice guide, Achieving environmental equity through neighbourhood renewal, in July 2003. This defines 'environmental equity', as a measure of environmental quality with 3 components:
Environmental protection
air and water quality, waste, biodiversity, floodingLocal place
'liveable' neighbourhoods, quality of & access to public spaceAccess to environmental 'goods'
including food, shelter, warmth, transport, justice, nature.
Low environmental equity amounts to 'environmental exclusion'. This potentially applies to any area, yet the NRU have focused primarily on the 88 most deprived areas - those in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding - for this summary report. This has informed the scope of the research to give it effective substance.
Aims of the Research
Initial research into environmental exclusion was first made in the report Living Places: Cleaner, Safer, Greener (ODPM, 2002). It envisaged a 2-stage review:
First stage:
environmental exclusion analysis establishing the extent of local environmental quality, in deprived areas and households.
Second stage:
Develop policy and propose mechanisms to meet identified gaps
Suggest improvements to existing activity through effective co-ordination, communication, measurement and dissemination.
The NRU report undertakes a combination of stage elements, but with a major focus on the second-stage.
Summary of Findings
The report includes:
a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the current definition of environmental exclusion
the policy context for environmental exclusion, particularly in terms of the interrelationships with liveability and sustainable development
an assessment of the evidence for a link between poor local environmental quality and deprived neighbourhoods in the UK.
a map of government interventions, initiatives and cross-departmental working on environmental exclusion
the environmental exclusion agenda at the local level
the relationship between environmental exclusion and community engagement.
Recommendations
The recommendations concentrate upon the following issues:
Defining environmental exclusion
Promoting the concept of environmental exclusion
Researching priorities
Environmental exclusion within the NRU
Facilitating cross- and inter-departmental liaison
Joint working with key external stakeholders
Download: Environmental Exclusion Review for Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, ODPM
Last update: Tuesday, July 22, 2008