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YORK 2020: SUSTAINABLE CITY

A Vision and Strategies for the Future by York Environment Forum

York Environment Forum’s ‘Vision’ was stimulated by, and formulated prior to the publication of

Professor Alan Simpson’s ‘York: New City Beautiful’ report. There are significant areas of overlap

between Professor Simpson’s Vision and our own and we support his report. However, the York

Environment Forum’s Vision is able to offer something different, distinctive and (in many cases)

immediately do-able, as well as having a shorter time-frame. Hence the two Visions are

complementary, with ‘York 2020: Sustainable City’ proposing pragmatic, community-based solutions

that lay the foundations for elements of Professor Simpson’s longer-term masterplan for 2030.

What York Environment Forum’s 2020 Vision is also able to offer is a ‘bottom up’ view from

representatives of local organisations, parish councils and community groups that have already

begun a groundswell of support for a more sustainable future for York and its environs. Our

members are experts in the fields of ecosystems, wildlife, sustainability, conservation, farming and

rural life, transport, food-growing, waste and recycling, planning, education, the built environment

and climate change, as well as having first-hand knowledge of what’s happening in the local area and

excellent communication networks in the voluntary sector and with professional and public bodies.

York already has a high-level ambition to become ‘a leading environmentally friendly city’. This is a

key aim, and it will be the template for a successful transition to new-style 21st-century living. We

acknowledge that City of York Council is already taking positive steps towards this and its Climate

Change Framework and Climate Change

Action Plan are testament to that. But

time is not on our side. The climate is

changing, resources are being squeezed

and our vulnerable economy needs local

resilience to survive. Becoming a

landmark environment city isn’t simply a

noble ambition, it’s a necessity. And we

need to be bold, think big and start now.

Our Vision is not to do with changing the hard landscape of York, nor is it necessarily expensive. It’s

about the ‘soft’ landscape – York’s people – and its ethos is education, modal shift and attitude

change (at all levels). We’ve also included a section on how that could be funded. Some of our

ambitions are challenging, but, crucially, other cities around the world have achieved their aims.

With its many easy wins, shorter timescale and community perspective, our Vision for York 2020

shows how York can become a beacon city, leading the UK in environmental sustainability by

demonstrating a new paradigm for living, working, commerce and tourism that encapsulates all of

the city’s strategic ambitions.

Kate Lock, Chair, York Environment Forum, October 2012

With its many easy wins, shorter

timescale and community

perspective, our Vision for 2020

shows how York can become a

beacon city, leading the UK in

environmental sustainability

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INTRODUCTION

OUR CHOICE

From the Romans and the Vikings through to York’s medieval role as the ‘Capital of the North’ and

its latter-day transformation from railway city to the UK’s top tourist destination, York’s progress

demonstrates both a strategic survival instinct and a readiness to embrace, and take advantage of, a

changed future. This we must do again now if our city is to continue to thrive.

Change is already happening and we cannot resist it. If we do nothing, or merely ‘tinker at the

edges’, the alternative vision could be grim indeed. Imagine, instead of the attractive, secure, world-

leading city we could be, the following picture of York in 2020 .

A collapsing tourist industry – with a critical impact on York’s economy – due to the massive rise in

travel costs … Congested transport systems grinding to a halt, detracting from investment and

deterring businesses and visitors … increasing pollution having a major impact on people’s health,

quality of life and our ancient architecture … Food, fuel and everyday goods increasingly expensive

and in short supply … York’s heritage suffering through economic decline … York’s spirit suffering

from high unemployment and new levels of poverty … York’s ‘special qualities’ steadily eroded by

the downward spiral of economic depression, environmental damage and urban decay …

It isn’t just accelerated climate change we’ll need to cope with, and the extreme weather events,

flooding, food shortages, economic migration and potential for civil disruption this will bring. Nor the

repercussions of an over-populated planet and a global economy predicated on continual and

unrealistic growth. According to the International Energy Agency1, ‘Peak Oil’ has already been passed

(in 2006). We are entering a new age in which energy and resources are diminishing, prices for food

and petrol are soaring and demand is rocketing. This has already started to kick in and is affecting

consumers and businesses sharply. Change is not in some far-off future. It is happening now.

Clifford’s Tower lapped by floodwater in 2000

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At the global scale, none of this is within our direct control (although we all contribute by our

actions). But at a local scale, we can control how York and its surrounding area choose to adapt. York

could become part of an international network of exemplar cities setting a better example and

pointing the way for the rest of the world to follow. So that’s our choice. We can either sleepwalk

into this harsher scenario or steer York to a high-quality, economically secure, resilient future in the

very different world we face. 2020 is less than a decade from now. We need to start today.

THE NEXT STEPS

York Environment Forum wants to engage councillors, officers, businesses, strategic partners and

the public in a full dialogue about our Vision for York 2020 and beyond. We are keen to work with

City of York Council and Without Walls with the aim of embedding these ambitions in relevant city

strategies as far as is economically viable.

We want this paper to sow the seeds of a flourishing future for York. To ensure these themes get

their fullest airing, we aim to stimulate debate with experts, campaigners and the wider York

community through our website and other means for the benefit of all York’s residents. Further

refining and detailing of this document will be part of that process.

Skeldergate in York impassable in the 2000 floods

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THE VISION: A Bright Future

Imagine a street given over to pedestrians, its

shops bustling with people. Families dine in

pavement cafes or enjoy locally produced food

from street stalls. People drink outside in a

civilized manner, listening to music from local

bands. Children play safely. Neighbours greet

each other, laugh and chat. Teens run a charity

stall, community groups give advice; traders

run demonstrations and workshops. The car

park has become an outdoor art gallery; a side

street hosts go-karting for kids while an entertainer prompts grins on the faces of passers-by.

This isn’t a dream. It happened in Bishopthorpe Road in York (above), for three hours on the evening

of Thursday 1 July 2010 when the road outside the local shops was temporarily sealed off for a street

party. Around 2000 people congregated to enjoy the unique opportunity. The community is still

talking about it. The traders were so busy they sold out of stock. People can’t wait for the next one.

The possibility of pedestrianising the area is already being aired.

Imagine, now, the area ten years on. It’s got thriving allotments and community orchards. The

church yard and the school yard alike are bursting with food crops and foliage. Shops buy and sell

the local produce and the pub now incorporates a post office. The (now car-free) shopping parade

has become the focus for the community, recycling facilities have been extended, a reuse centre

introduced, craft workshops and small businesses have proliferated. The area is buzzing with a sense

of industry and energy.

Transport has been revolutionised, too. The parade now offers plentiful cycle parking, a ‘pedicab’

rank and cheap bike/trailer hire from the site of the former car park, which now only takes electric

cars. It has plug-in points for recharging and is the base for a well-used (electric) car club. A frequent

and affordable bus service runs to the city centre and out to outlying transport hubs while river taxis

operate from the new quay in Clementhorpe. Deliveries for the shops arrive early, on one lorry, not

ten different ones, or come by boat, to be transported a short distance up a side road instead of 100

miles beyond the ring road. Every south-facing roof has solar panels and there are PV tiles on the

church and the school, both of which have become increasingly significant hubs for the local

community.

Now, step into the scene. Stop and look around you. Take a deep breath of clean, fresh air, instead

of the throat-catching rasp of traffic fumes. Notice how the streets are greener and quieter and have

been reclaimed by pedestrians and cyclists. You walk with them, talk with them, and discover that

shopping locally is the norm now. Neighbourhood networks have been set up. People use each

other’s services; borrow, swap, share, support. They say they feel healthier because their lifestyles

are more active and they feel safer, too, knowing their neighbours by name. And the thing you really

notice is, they seem to smile more.

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You ask what happened here, to bring about this change. They say, ‘Well, it began that day they

sealed off the road to cars and everyone liked it. Then the cost of petrol went up. Food too. Jobs

were scarcer. The flooding’s been bad – that’s been a real wake up call. We just knew we had to do

something.’

You go into the hardware shop, which has turned its upstairs rooms into workshops for apprentices.

The owner tells you how successful the scheme has been at providing opportunities for school

leavers to learn trades, especially since so much work has been generated by the retrofitting of

York’s old houses with energy efficiency measures. ‘The kids are learning so much more. We’re all

learning, even the adults. The old ways – stuff that our grandparents did – and the new ways. The

schools run evening and holiday courses in retraining and upskilling. Everyone’s into it now. It’s a bit

like the war, though without the bombs. We’ve had to pull together, as a community.

‘It’s great to see other parts of York following our lead. Haxby, Holgate, Acomb, Heslington … and of

course, the city centre is wonderful. What a transformation without all those cars! Cycling is so much

safer, so we’re all doing it now – I feel much fitter for it, too! And the buses are brilliant. It’s much

easier to get in and out of York, especially with them connecting up with the new parks on the ring

road, which also let you hire bikes and electric cars. There’s no more queuing in jams and the bus

services to the villages are fantastic. They’ve set up these community owned taxi-buses, too, and

there’s the river bus – that’s really popular with trippers and commuters. Obviously there was

resistance to all this at first. Traders thought they’d lose business, people couldn’t figure out how

they’d get around. But it’s been a real turning point. I’d say it’s saved us, in more ways than one.’

You ask him why. He points to a group of

backpackers walking past. ‘Tourists are coming to the

city not just because of its history but because it’s

showing people a better way to live. All the hotels

and guest houses have a green code that rates them

on their ecological and carbon footprints, though we

all do that now of course. It’s been a real boost for

the local economy. Visitors love the fact that

everywhere in York is so accessible. Plus the fact that

it’s attractive to look at, with all the planting and the

terrace gardens and the green roofs. And they love the apple thing. They really go for that.

‘What’s that?’ you ask.

‘We’ve cultivated our own variety – the York Apple, or the Little Apple, as it’s called,’ he explains.

‘Everyone in the city planted a tree; not all of them fruit – we’ve got all kinds – but some were. And

it’s become part of our identity. New York’s the Big Apple; ‘New’ York’s got the Little Apple.

Officially, it’s all about York being this showcase sustainable edible city, but it’s done more than that.

People feel proud of it because it symbolises what we’re trying to do here.’ He pauses, looks you in

the eye. ‘It’s all about planting seeds for the future. Growing food. Growing hope. Literally.’

You tell him you like the idea.

‘Good,’ he says. ‘Then go back to 2012 and tell them to get started.’

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THE VISION: Challenging Times

’20/20 vision’ is generally taken to mean the ‘perfect view’ of hindsight. Our own 2020 Vision for

York does not have that luxury. The only certainty that can be stated with confidence about the

future for York, as elsewhere, is that, with the multiple threats facing us, we will need to be

resourceful enough to cope with uncertainty. The ‘business as usual’ models of growth and

conventional economic drivers cannot be relied on and, indeed, may cease to apply.

The threats we face are not temporary, nor are they in some far-off future. They will affect us all, in

this lifetime. If we do not act swiftly and decisively, our children’s lives will be dramatically different.

As for our grandchildren, their fate is being decided right now. Scientists already agree that we have

almost no hope of stabilising global temperature rises by 2C, the acknowledged danger threshold;

the likely rise, based on statistics from the Climate Interactive Scoreboard2, is almost double this by

the end of the century. According to the IPPC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)3, a 4C

rise means that global food production is very likely to decrease, with major extinctions around the

globe and near-total loss of Greenland's ice, precipitating 2-7m of sea-level rise in the long term. As

temperatures rise, the severity of floods, erosion, water pollution, heat waves, droughts and health

problems such as malnutrition and diseases would also increase.

Peak oil – the term used to describe the point at which global crude oil extraction rates ‘max out’

and begin to decline – is another major and unavoidable threat. Experts report that this has already

passed; future oil supplies will be from harder-to-extract and more controversial sources, such as tar

sands. Meanwhile, demand from developing countries is rising (in China it went up by 30% in the

past 12 months). According to Antony Froggatt4, a Senior Research Fellow at International ‘think

tank’ Chatham House, this means that we now need to discover and exploit the equivalent of a ‘new

Saudi Arabia’ every three years simply to maintain current levels of oil output. This is unrealistic and

unsustainable. Unless and until renewables provide sufficient energy security to free us from fossil

fuels, energy shortages leading to power cuts will be commonplace, fuel poverty will be widespread

and businesses and services reliant on oil will fail. Food, farming and many other commodities (eg

plastics) founded on oil-based substances will be affected, prices will spiral and rationing may

become necessary.

In an energy-insecure world, resilience is key. The way we live will be different, whether we resist

change, merely react to it or whether we embrace it and plan proactively for a new way of living.

Change can be unsettling and fear of it can stifle, but ‘different’ need not mean ‘worse’ or a return

to the ‘Dark Ages’. With our Vision for York, ‘different’ means something better, innovative and

reinvigorating that also presents solutions to the multiple challenges we face. If we do this, York will

be attractive not just because it looks beautiful and has great amenities and public spaces but

because it will have built up the local resilience – and hence the certainty – that investors desire.

This will support the city through the years ahead and provide the security in terms of jobs, food and

energy that we all want as well as improving our quality of life and producing a healthier economy.

‘Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a

finite world is either a madman or an economist’

Kenneth Boulding, economist

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THE VISION: Summary

Overview

The scale of the changes we need to make in York over the next 40 years is staggering.

City of York Council has made a commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2020

(based on a 2005 baseline). It has a legal obligation to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, in

accordance with the Climate Change Act. The Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of

York calculates that, including indirect as well as direct emissions, the average carbon footprint for a

York resident is currently around 12.61 tonnes. By 2050 it will need to be 2.52 tonnes5. These figures

are in The Strategy for York (2011), which commits the city to an associated reduction in York’s

ecological footprint (which equates to the quantity of resources an individual consumes) from 4.72

hectares per person to 0.94 hectares by 2050.

Given that half the cuts in emissions need to be made in the next nine years, the target for 2020

ought to concentrate all of our minds.

The good news is that it will be possible to deliver a significantly less carbon-intensive lifestyle in the

next decade. York has the proportions, the intellectual acumen, the ‘green’ sympathies and a

number of important strategies in place – as well as an overarching ambition – to achieve this.

However, they must be driven forward with urgency. We need a step-change in attitude at all levels

and across all sectors to achieve this.

It’s widely agreed that what makes York distinctive and gives the city its uniquely attractive

attributes are quality of life and sense of place. Some of those features, such as its narrow streets,

Our Vision for York 2020 is for a green, mobile and resilient city that leads the way in

sustainable living, working and transport and offers a secure, safe and attractive

environment for all.

By embracing the potential to create green jobs and apprenticeships, to exploit new industries and technologies and to build exciting new sustainable developments we can ensure that York is economically vibrant and environmentally friendly, while improving the flow around the city and opening up the historic core means that it is also, crucially, people-friendly. Our Vision is for everyone in York, at every level, to feel proud, protective and responsible for the city, to work together to deliver prosperity, to co-operate to ensure resilience and, in turn, to enjoy their fair share as stakeholders in the city. Above all, our Vision is for a city that is celebrated not just for its quality of place, but for its quality of life; one that encourages growth and recognises and respects the balance with the natural environment. 'Business as usual' is not an option in this insecure century. New thinking and sustainable practices are essential for York to remain attractive, strong and healthy and the key to the city flourishing culturally and economically in the future.

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create challenges. However, they also present opportunities. York is a compact city whose Medieval

and Roman streets were never meant for cars. Crucially, it’s a walkable city, which gives us a strong

advantage when it comes to getting rid of cars from our congested core. And it’s not just the old city

where we can make a radical difference. One of the most exciting prospects is the potential for

ground-breaking new developments. With a number of key sites around the city identified for

redevelopment, the opportunity to develop them as models of sustainable living powered by

renewable energy is clear.

Together, transport and housing make up almost 60% of the carbon footprint of an average York

resident6 and represent the largest areas where we can make a difference. The other main areas are

food (9%) and public services (6%). The remainder of the footprint is made up by consumables (11%)

and Government, capital investment/other (17%), which are less easy to influence at a local level,

though our plan describes actions that will impact on these, too.

Ours is a Vision that meets the ‘triple bottom line’: people, planet and profit. People like York, which

is why it has an unusually high sense of community and belonging. That, together with a powerful

resource of professional and creative skills (two universities, especially the rapidly growing science

and technology industries) and a long-standing tradition of combining business with social reform

(through the Quaker movement) means that York’s residents are more likely to be willing to make

the personal investment – of time, money, effort, ingenuity and community involvement – to make

the changes necessary for York to become an exemplar low-carbon city.

PART 1: GREEN CITY

A leafy view of York, photographed from the York Wheel. But the city could be even greener …

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GREEN CITY: THE VISION

‘York to be an exemplar environment city, with a zero-waste strategy and low-carbon

and zero-carbon technologies making it the least polluting city in the UK. A reputation

for pioneering new building design compounds its status as a prime base for

knowledge industries and creates a boom in green jobs. The use of best environmental

practices protects York’s history for the future and gives York a worldwide reputation

for retrofitting as well as the most energy-efficient new builds.

Eco-tourism attracts a new and stable home-grown market for visitors, who flock to this

clean, green and beautiful city both for leisure and to learn. York’s rivers are revived as

focal points for culture and recreation. The River Ouse is an artery for sustainable

transport and York leads the UK in pioneering amphibious building designs to

withstand flooding.

York is physically green too: wildlife thrives throughout the city as we have connected

up our green spaces and made it possible for plants and animals to prosper despite our

changing climate. Birds and insects abound amongst the wildflowers and shrubs in our

parks and strays and a tree-planting programme has transformed the city’s hard

landscaping into a virtual orchard of shady and abundant greenery.’

Up for the challenge? For York to become an exemplar environment city, we need to be clear about what this ambition entails, how it can be achieved and how we can measure our success relative to other cities of comparable size. Otherwise, statements about how ‘green’ York is amount to no more than a PR exercise. The commitment must be whole-hearted and integrated across all sectors: services and shops, schools and households, the public sector and businesses. Being ‘green’ isn’t separate from the economy, or education or health or housing. Acting sustainably is the methodology we need to apply to everything we do. Our management of resources, and our vitality as a city, will depend on it.

What’s the big idea? For this to happen we need to have an open and responsive mind-set and be prepared to embrace new ways of living. One of the principal drivers of change will be a collective pride in, and a feeling of responsibility for, our city. York Environment Forum believes that a council-backed city-wide campaign that identifies York’s special qualities with sustainable living (such as the ‘Little Apple’ campaign described in our Vision) can help this. If residents associate environmental practices with an improved quality of life and a successful, thriving city they are more likely to adopt them.

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A big idea with a simple message that makes people feel they are ‘investing’ in York will set the stage for individual targets. Above all, York must be glad to be green!

What is a Sustainable City – and how do we measure up? Forum for the Future defines sustainable development as: ‘A dynamic process which enables all people to realise their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life support systems.’7 York Environment Forum’s own Guiding Principles state that York must be a sustainable city, defined thus: ‘No aspect of its development or of improvements in the quality of life of York’s residents should knowingly harm other people or disrupt social cohesion or degrade ecological systems, whether local or global.’ For York to be able to call itself a leading ‘green’ city, objective measures are required to establish its environmental credentials. The sustainability of a city can be measured by a range of indicators. In the UK, the Sustainable Cities Index8, developed by Forum for the Future, is well established and researched, using indicators based on environmental performance (air quality, biodiversity, household waste and ecological footprint), quality of life (employment, transport, education, health and access to green spaces) and future-proofing (climate change, local food, economy and recycling) to produce an annually adjusted index of the UK’s 20 largest cities. These indicators have been developed in discussion with local authorities and use existing data on aspects of performance on which cities are already expected to make improvements. York does not appear on this index due to its size, but the criteria can still be used and applied relatively. This will enable us to calculate how well York is performing and would give firm ground for claims about the city’s sustainable status as well as setting benchmarks for improvements.

GREEN CITY: THE BIG ISSUES

Part 1: Green City, covers the following areas: Natural environment, Waste, Pollution, Built Environment and Eco-tourism.

1.1 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Our Place in the Natural World

York’s natural environment needs to be protected and biodiversity nurtured and enhanced, with green open spaces, corridors and parks integrated into urban planning and residents and communities encouraged to ‘green’ their gardens, back yards, schools and local areas. Businesses and developers have a crucial role to play, too. This isn’t simply a ‘nice thing to do’ or ‘green window-dressing’. Public, private – and even municipal – understanding of the real (pragmatic and monetary) value of the natural environment is frequently poor and all too often concern for the natural environment is treated as an ‘optional extra’ or the domain of conservationists, despite the fact that it is not just the environment but people that suffer the consequences when we disregard Nature. (An example of this is the extensive hard paving of front gardens and driveways for parking, which increases surface run-off and contributes to flash flooding.) An understanding of, and respect

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for, the natural environment is central to York Environment Forum’s Vision for York 2020 and business cases can be made for prioritising the natural environment across all sectors. It is essential:

for our physical health and mental wellbeing;

for wildlife conservation;

to help protect against climate change, as well as to mitigate its effects;

to improve air quality;

to create pleasant environments that people want to spend their time and money in (social and leisure pursuits);

to attract visitors and new businesses (the ‘City Beautiful’ principle);

to detract from anti-social behaviour and the degradation of neighbourhoods (neglected areas are associated with more crime);

to reduce the impact of flooding;

to grow our food (agriculture would be impossible without bees and other pollinators);

to facilitate sustainable transport alternatives (off-road cycleways and footpaths);

for education;

for sport;

for relaxing and having fun. Ecosystems Approach The natural environment provides a range of ‘services’ that benefit people, which have come to be defined as ‘ecosystem services’. These include resources for basic survival (clean air and water); for health (green spaces and medicines); protection from hazards (through the regulation of climate and water cycle); support for a strong economy (raw materials and through tourism and leisure) as well as social, cultural and educational benefits. Defra’s ‘Ecosystems Approach Action Plan’11 puts the case for embedding this approach across all sectors and is an effective way of engaging different stakeholders. Its purpose is to deliver natural environment outcomes effectively and to help society to make better informed decisions about how to balance the economy, the environment and social objectives.

Ecosystems services reposition ‘the environment’ in terms of Gross Value Added and demonstrate its potential for creating the conditions for growth and increasing economic security. For example, woodlands and wetlands can add significant economic value to an area in terms of carbon sequestration and/or preventing/alleviating flood damage. In the North-West of England, this amounts to an estimated £600m.

Green infrastructure

ECOSYSTEMS APPROACH: LOCAL SOLUTIONS Flood management planning (including upstream and agricultural land) is particularly relevant, given York’s vulnerability to flooding. Natural solutions from ecosystems, such as using reed beds for sustainable drainage systems (see picture above), can play a highly significant role by enabling land to hold back water at peak flood times and storing excess water. Planting upstream in the Vale of Pickering – the Slow the Flow project – is already being employed to help alleviate flooding in Pickering and Sinnington. York Environment Forum would encourage City of York Council officers to work with Defra and other partners (Environment Agency, Natural England, Forestry Commission) to understand these principles and how they can be applied at a local level and to disseminate best practice.12

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Green Infrastructure Preserving and protecting the city’s parks, municipal gardens, green wedges, nature reserves, allotments and strays is vital for all the reasons given above and because they form part of York’s unique character and appeal. In a city where many residents lack gardens they are playgrounds for all ages, as well as the city’s lungs, carbon ‘sinks’ and part of our flood protection. Green infrastructure should be integral to all new (brown field) developments, incorporated holistically to facilitate communal space, food-growing and sustainable travel and to promote biodiversity and healthy living. Green-belt land must be vigorously defended from development while brown-field sites exist. Reuse of small empty sites along with upgrading existing buildings and reclaiming and remodelling empty buildings (especially above shops) and converting homes are all preferable to turning over green-belt land. On a sliding scale of preference, it should be noted that there is a difference between green field sites – often under agricultural monoculture and with lower levels of biodiversity – development on which is preferable to encroachment on virgin ‘green belt’ land. The economic value of Green Infrastructure, and how this can be maximised to improve the natural environment and benefit the built (‘grey’) environment is highlighted in a CABE report, ‘Grey to Green’13, which stresses the urgent need for more people with the right skills to manage the living landscapes of towns and cities. The report also confirms the philosophy outlined in the ‘York: New City Beautiful’ report about the relationship between green infrastructure and commercial and economic success. York Environment Forum suggests that the formulation of a Green Infrastructure Strategy for York be done in co-operation with our members, some of whom hold key positions on environment groups and statutory bodies and have considerable expertise in this area. Biodiversity All York’s green areas support biodiversity of fauna and flora. The Biodiversity Audit report9 (January 2011) by York’s Countryside Officer details the Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) in York. SINCs are locally important sites that the local council is responsible for protecting. York also has sites that are nationally important – for example, Strensall Common – as well as internationally important, notably the Lower Derwent Valley. York Environment Forum supports the recommendations of Professor Sir John Lawton of York in his report for Defra, Making Space for Nature10 , which suggests that: ‘The essence of what needs to be done to enhance the resilience and coherence of England’s ecological network can be summarised in four words: more, bigger, better and joined. There are five key approaches that encompass these, and also take account of the land around the ecological network. ‘We need to:

(i) Improve the quality of current sites by better habitat management (ii) Increase the size of current wildlife sites; (iii) Enhance the connections between, or join up, sites, either through physical corridors or

through “stepping stones”; (iv) Create new sites; (v) Reduce the pressures on wildlife by improving the wider environment, including through

buffering wildlife sites.’ In the local context, it is vital that York continues to have an ecologist in post and access to data on biodiversity to enable decisions to be made on current ecological information. The people of York

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can then be confident that new developments will not damage biodiversity and also that the biodiversity present in York will be protected, monitored, connected and enhanced. Expertise is essential within the council so that biodiversity can be conserved which is the basis of an ecosystem services approach for a sustainable city. York residents, businesses, community groups and schools can also play an important role in encouraging biodiversity through back (and front) garden growing, planting in public beds, parks, spaces and playing fields and especially by planting crops and wildflowers to encourage bees and other insect pollinators. This is already starting to happen through actions taken by Edible York, the Friends of York City Walls, York Edible Schools and groups such as Planet South Bank and the City of York Council has played a positive and helpful role in supporting this. Living roofs and green walls One way of increasing opportunities for biodiversity and expanding our green infrastructure in a crowded city such as York is to extend it upwards with ‘living roofs’. There is a real chance to do this with the proposed new developments and it would not only create a green and pleasant landscape but allow the reuse of site materials. It would improve the environment by reducing surface run-off, improving air quality, reducing emissions and by mitigating the ‘heat island’ effect. The opportunities for existing city centre buildings to create roof terraces and gardens are also there – urban horticulture has become a feature of modern cities such as New York (check). The opportunity to create an aerial ecological wedge of green landscape would showcase modern sustainable building design and complement York’s ambition to be a recognised as a leading ‘environmentally friendly’ city. ‘Green walls’ provide another opportunity for upscaling green cover in the city and can be achieved relatively easily and cheaply with a variety of climbers. Green walls also help to increase biodiversity, look attractive and provide added value by increasing interior sound-proofing. In addition, they can be planted productively, to grow food crops and fruits (as has been done in Todmorden, Lancs). Tree strategy A tree strategy – along the lines of The Manchester Tree Strategy14 – is necessary to introduce planned planting of suitable trees in the right areas. Trees are a vital part of the aforementioned Ecosystems Approach and help reduce CO2 and filter air pollution as well as providing shade, shelter, food, wildlife habitats, raw materials, fuel and being objects of beauty. A tree strategy for York has been under discussion for a number of years and York Environment Forum welcomes the recent progress made in developing this.

LIVING EXAMPLE Sheffield City Council has done pioneering work with Sheffield University on a green roofs policy as part of its climate mitigation action plan. It now has 49 developments with green roofs, with another 42 awaiting planning consent, as well as a number of domestic green roofs, totalling almost 25,000 sq m of green roof space across the city, bringing about a significant increase in wildlife.

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‘ Land use and agriculture Much of York beyond the ring road is agricultural land. Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector are predominantly nitrous oxide (from fertilisers and nitrogen crops), methane (from belching ruminants – ie sheep and cows) and carbon dioxide (from farming practices such as ploughing). This sector plays an important role in enabling York and its environs to ‘power down’ through measures to reduce emissions (40% by 2020), such as carbon sequestration (through woodlands and peat bogs) and changes to agricultural practices. York’s agricultural land also has a vital role in producing food for the domestic market, especially to support York’s local food movement and to buffer us against global shortages, which are will become increasingly serious due to the effects of climate change and population growth. Farmers must also be supported and incentivised to plant crops for building and insulation materials (straw, timber, wool) and even for new forms of biodegradable packaging (such as those being developed by the Green Chemistry department at the University of York). Farm land is also likely to play a significant – and potentially controversial – role in the production of crops for fuel. Zero Carbon Britain 203015, a report by the Centre for Alternative Technology, states that livestock products, mainly of cows and sheep, will need to be reduced to 20-25% of current quantity by 2030. This will not only lower methane emissions but, crucially, release the land for growing replacement plant protein products and biomass for energy in the form of ‘second generation’ biofuels (wood and grasses). These crops have already been trialled at Drax power station and represent one way forward for clean electricity generation, particularly to power the change-over to electric vehicles, which are likely to form a significant proportion of the transport sector by 2020. However, this kind of land use can only be justified if there is a sea-change in our diets, which will need to become largely vegetarian, and even potentially vegan. Conclusion In York, which is valued for its strong sense of place and high quality of life, the natural environment is, arguably, as important as the built environment. Without the city’s well-kept parks and beautiful gardens, its rivers, and the distinctive strays and ‘green wedges’, York would be an altogether poorer (in all senses) place. Green urban spaces improve health, reduce crime, facilitate social inclusion and cohesion and make a substantial difference to the quality of everyday life by providing both visual and physical relief. There can be no better statement of York’s green intent than the physical ‘greening’ of our city.

‘Treemendous’ progress York Environment Forum is working proactively with City of York Council and other partner groups and organisations to help facilitate a city-wide planting scheme in suitable locations through ‘Treemendous York’, an umbrella group formed in April 2011 which the Forum played a significant role in setting up. Treemendous York aims to deliver the recommendation to plant 50,000 trees in York made by Professor Alan Simpson in the ‘York: New City Beautiful’ report, including the planting of productive trees (fruit and nut) for the benefit of local residents and schools. The Forum also supports the Edible York initiative to plant a ‘virtual orchard’ across the city. It is particularly keen to see an iconic apple variety developed that could become symbolic of the ‘Little Apple’ concept for York proposed in our Vision.

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1.2 WHAT A WASTE: Making the Most of our Rubbish Introduction Our population is growing and landfill space is running out: the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that capacity will be reached by 2018. Untreated biodegradable waste, which makes up around a third of landfill, generates methane, a greenhouse gas 22 times more potent than carbon dioxide, when it has the potential to be turned into soil-fertilising compost. While the recycling culture has improved substantially, we are still disposing of materials that have real value for reuse at a time when raw materials (especially oil, from which plastics are made) are becoming increasingly expensive and scarce. Burying our waste is not a sustainable solution, economically or environmentally. This is widely recognised: the coalition government is committed to a zero waste strategy and Defra is currently undertaking a national waste strategy review (expected Spring 2011). However, Britain is still regarded as ‘the dustbin of Europe’ and cripplingly high landfill taxes will be imposed on local authorities – and hence tax-payers – if we fail to reach EU targets (for 2020, this is a reduction to 35% of 1995 waste levels sent to landfill). York Having made good initial progress with recycling rates, York is now lagging well behind many UK towns and cities. York is currently achieving around 44% of waste diverted from landfill; some local authorities – South Oxfordshire, for example – are now achieving rates of nearly 70%. Other cities around the world have shown that even higher levels can be achieved: in the US, San Francisco is diverting nearer to 80% from landfill, while Kamikatsu in Japan is a zero-waste town. In contrast, York’s (and North Yorkshire’s) target for household waste recycling and composting for 2020 is just 50%. Energy From Waste City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council’s proposed solution is an Energy from Waste plant at Allerton Park, between York and Harrogate. While we acknowledge there are good aspects to the scheme (anaerobic digestion, materials recovery, energy generation), York Environment Forum has a number of serious concerns: the massive financial commitment; the length of the contract (25 years); the fact that technology has already moved on (some UK incinerator schemes have already been cancelled, including, very recently, one for Hull); the discouragement for residents to recycle; no benefit to the locality from the heat generated; an increase in emissions and environmental toxins, and the highly significant fact that the economic climate has already affected consumption levels. (York missed its recycling targets in 2010 because people were buying less luxuries and a shortfall could incur substantial financial penalties: see Commerical Waste, below.) Recently, the EU’s Resource Efficient Europe Resolution was passed, stating that all incineration of recyclable or compostable material (and indeed all incineration without heat use) be banned by 2020. Zero Waste Strategy York has signed up to the Government’s Zero Waste Places ambition and has committed to a zero waste strategy. This is to be welcomed but it will remain no more than ‘tinkering at the edges’ unless the real issues are addressed. Classes in how to turn old clothes into rugs and make the most

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of leftovers are useful but being a ‘zero waste’ city is an aspiration that means that no waste is generated that cannot be dealt with by York itself. This is not just about processes, it is about attitudes; avoiding landfill by reducing waste at source (ie packaging) and then reusing, recycling and recovering all remaining waste. Key to this is greater segregation and sorting of waste, which is now being tackled through the extended kerbside recycling scheme. Not all waste materials can be recycled in York, notably mixed plastics and food waste. Many other local authorities now collect these materials, hence their higher recycling rates. Facilities now exist to process mixed plastics in the UK (close to home, Selby is doing this through the new Materials Recovery Facility at Mansfield in Nottingham) and the home market for end use is growing. While there may be some capacity at other UK materials recovery facilities for York’s mixed plastics (and other recyclables), this would incur high transport costs as well as producing greater emissions. Ultimately a dedicated Materials Recovery Facility for North Yorkshire is needed. Anaerobic digestion Dealing efficiently with biodegradable waste on a large scale is vital. Composting and anaerobic digestion also present opportunities for energy production through methane capture. An anaerobic digestor for commercial and domestic food waste that produces energy and heat for local homes and businesses is needed for York. Encouragement could also be given to smaller-scale operations by farmers as well as food-waste collection and composting initiatives by not-for-profit organisations and charitable enterprises. Home composting support through the York Rotters should be strengthened and continue to be supported financially, as should discounts on compost bins, especially ‘Green Johannas’ which provide the best value for money since they compost all food waste safely. Commercial waste In the short term, financial incentives (eg a comparative reduction in business rates) need to be offered to stimulate and encourage commercial waste recycling, which is regarded as prohibitively expensive by many small businesses and local shops. In the longer term, and well before 2020, commercial waste needs to be brought into City of York Council’s targets for increased recycling. Currently this is hindered by the Landfill Allowance Trading Schemes targets (LATS). York is the lead authority behind a proposal for this be removed, which was submitted under the terms of the revised Sustainable Communities Act. The government has agreed to look at ways in which this can be adjusted to assist LAs and small and medium-sized business. [NB: There are plans to make up for shortfalls of domestic waste at the proposed Allerton Recovery Park with commercial waste. If commercial waste is included in York and North Yorkshire’s 50% recycling target then there may not be sufficient volume for incineration and heavy fines may be routinely incurred, on top of the contractual commitment.] Recycling With the kerbside recycling scheme now extended to most properties in York, the doubling up of the same facilities for recycling glass, plastic bottles, cans and paper at neighbourhood recycling centres should not be necessary. Provision of resources at these municipal centres should be reviewed and streamlined to plug the gaps in the kerbside scheme. What are needed are banks/containers for recycling Tetrapaks, plastic bags/film and aluminium foil. These need to be more widely distributed and accessible for people without cars. Partnerships between supermarkets, shops, community

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groups, churches and charities or ward-funded initiatives could present solutions here with support from City of York Council to front interventions and initiate dialogues or even stimulate a city-wide campaign. (In Kamikatsu, in Japan, for example, residents receive free lottery tickets, redeemed for vouchers for local shops, in return for recycling.) Having a workshop/shop at the Hazel Court Recycling Centre to recondition and sell on retrieved/unwanted items at a low cost (along the lines of Bike Rescue) would be another opportunity to save them going to landfill. Conclusion An ethos of reuse, repair, second-hand sales and sharing (tools, resources, skills – eg Freecycle, charity/reuse outlets, LETS) is essential to enable York to ‘close the loop’, along with an awareness of waste minimisation by educating and encouraging people to buy products with no or minimal packaging (although much of this is in the gift of retailers and manufacturers). Realistically, a zero waste target represents an aspiration to work towards and other UK cities with zero waste strategies integral to their visions recognise this. By 2020, York may not yet have achieved zero waste, but the means to achieve this should be in place. Any sustainable city must, by definition, have a whole-hearted commitment to recycling and waste; a leading sustainable city, such as York aspires to be, must show the way.

1.3 POLLUTION: Clean Air for All National situation Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, largely from road traffic, is shortening the lives of as many as 35,000 in the UK every year due to respiratory conditions and possibly as many as 200,000 if the effect on heart disease is included. This is a Government estimate, and the comparison with official estimates for the number of premature deaths attributable to alcoholism (15,000 to 20,000 in England), obesity (9,000 in England) and smoking (87,000 in England) is stark. The cause is dusts, sulphates and nitrates from road traffic and other sources, known as particulate matter, small particles that can be carcinogenic and are able to pass through the lungs into the bloodstream, causing inflammation and other more serious conditions. Twice as many people today suffer from lung disease and asthmatic conditions caused by air pollution than was the case 20 years ago16. Unless dedicated action is taken to reduce pollution, this will further increase due not just to the emissions from transport and industry but because the temperature rises and atmospheric conditions created by climate change will greatly exacerbate the effects of air pollution on peoples’ health. Legislation from the European Parliament requiring all EU countries to have clean air has now come into effect. As a result, the UK government could now be fined up to £300m and local councils that have failed to act could also be penalised harshly.

Example

Bath & NE Somerset have trialled ‘zero waste challenge’ weeks and encouraged residents,

services, schools and businesses to take part. York can learn lessons from their experiences

and should introduce a similar initiative annually. (See ‘The Big Shift’)

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York

In May 2010, the Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods and the Director of City Strategy published a joint report to the Executive entitled ‘A Low Emission Strategy for York’. It states:

‘Despite initial improvements in air quality , it has worsened since 2006, with average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations increasing year on year. The highest concentrations occurred during 2009 with 25 of the 40 monitoring locations used to calculate the AQMA [Air Quality Management Area] average being above the health based objective. The continued deterioration in air quality has led to the recent declaration of a second AQMA along the A19 corridor at Fulford. If further steps are not taken to improve air quality the declaration of more AQMAs is likely. ‘ The report highlights the effects that poor air quality and pollutants in York are responsible for, including residents’ health – ‘an estimated 158 air quality related premature deaths per year’ - and damage to historic buildings, ‘including the Minster and the city walls’. Furthermore, it admits that some existing climate change actions, such as the switch from petrol to diesel cars (which have lower emissions but produce more particulates), procurement and the council’s own vehicle fleet are contributing to the deterioration in air quality and that the separation of air quality management and greenhouse gas reduction issues has resulted in conflicting policies. ‘ If York is to improve its air quality, and meet its carbon reduction targets, a new holistic approach to emission reduction is needed.’

The proposed solution, which York Environment Forum endorses, is an overarching Low Emission Strategy for York*. Successful examples of this are now working in Oxford, Cambridge, Mid-Devon and Sheffield. The forum is pressing for City of York Council to take this forward as a matter of urgency: at present, air pollution levels in some parts of York are at unsafe and illegal levels. This needs to be a cross-directorate approach that takes into account not just transport but new developments (responsible for embedded and direct emissions), fuel and energy generation. An ecosystems approach should underpin this: tree-planting, particularly in AQMAs, has a positive effect by filtering particulates. Other public sector partners (Health, Education) need to sign up to the Low Emissions Strategy, as well as businesses. A public awareness campaign with a simple and direct message would support this. York’s air pollution is making people sick and even killing them. This is as serious as it gets and we all, as a city, need to be aware of the impact of our individual actions and the extent of our personal and corporate responsibilities. [*Recently passed by City of York Council, October 2012]

Conclusion

As one of three regional ‘Low Emissions Champions’ (a status awarded jointly to York and Leeds in January 201017), York is now tasked with rolling out low emissions polices that can stand as inspiring examples for other cities to follow. By developing an overarching Low Emissions Strategy, York could become the UK’s first low emission city. This will not only save lives, improve health and help prevent the erosion of our historic buildings, it will also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and mitigate against the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, it will promote York’s reputation as an attractive and progressive historic city, with concomitant benefits in areas such as investment and tourism. It will also help to avoid possible government fines and intervention measures due to poor performance on air quality improvement, which could be substantial. A knock-on effect is its

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potential to attract further funding for sustainable transport schemes and air quality grant funding bids.

By 2020, York could be transformed from a polluted (and congested) city to a city where the air is clean, people are healthy, trees are flourishing, sustainable transport predominates and people want to live and work. However, this cannot happen with a bold approach to transport. The ‘York: New City Beautiful’ report has some innovative suggestions as to how infrastructure changes could be made that would support this, as does York Environment Forum (see Transport, p ?)

1.4 BUILT TO LAST: The Old and the New Introduction York Environment Forum understands that our actions with respect to both new and existing buildings will have a critical impact on the use of scarce resources and the reduction of emissions (the built environment is responsible for 30% of total domestic emissions, principally from space heating and appliances). In a historic city, where the unique character derives largely from its heritage, this presents challenges – especially when those buildings are shared between public and private ownership. Identifying creative ways of meeting these challenges will be crucial to the city over the coming decades, and identifying these at an early stage would provide the city as a whole with expertise of great value. It must be emphasised that actions to reduce the emissions from buildings must be city-wide: it is as important to include the suburbs and the villages as the historic core (arguably more so, since this represents the greater proportion of buildings).

New buildings Under the Strategy for Sustainable Construction, new domestic buildings and schools must be zero-carbon in use by 2016; public buildings by 2018 and others by 2019. However, York must move beyond simply applying national standards, to engage all involved in the development process in efforts to create new buildings and new communities which are truly sustainable in use. York's compact form, benign topography and robust property values provide opportunities to innovate – a process which requires boldness and openness on the part of both developers and policy-makers. York has already taken some steps in this direction with the council’s ‘Eco Depot’, the York Environment Centre and the York Eco Business Centre, and we must continue to monitor, assess and learn the lessons from the performance of these buildings and other innovative new builds (for example, Elm Tree Mews in New Earswick and the Derwenthorpe development at Osbaldwick, both by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust). It’s vital that the collective experience gained from these is shared to encourage and produce further similar innovative designs, especially in the new developments to come on-stream at The Chocolate Works (the former Terrys factory site in South Bank) and Germany Beck in Fulford. The City has a revised target for housebuilding as a result of the changes made to the Local Development Framework Core Strategy. It is vital that all these new buildings adopt well-understood approaches to minimising energy use by putting the emphasis on thermal comfort through measures such as improved insulation and passive design. They should also be designed to readily adopt rapidly developing renewable energy technologies such as solar water heating, solar PV, heat pumps and biomass boilers and, ideally, incorporate them from the start (for example, a small conurbation can be built to share a linked biomass heating system).

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Development sites York has a number of prime development sites, notably York Central and the British Sugar/Manor School site, which form part of the York NW corridor. City of York Council is promoting the latter within the Leeds City Region as an ‘Urban Eco Settlement’ and the York Environment Forum recognises and applauds the council’s initiative to grow a new part of the city as ‘a residential-lead development that should minimise environmental impact in terms of construction and occupation as well as movement generation’. This, and an equally sensitive, complementary planning approach to the York Central (‘teardrop’) site, presents a unique chance for the city to create a ‘new layer’ in its history, one that is specifically adapted to the challenges of 21st-century living. Such developments would be at the vanguard of York’s ambition to become a leading sustainable city and present many immediate opportunities for green jobs, as well as broadening and enhancing the skills base in the city, which would attract more potential employers and consolidate York’s reputation for knowledge and innovation. We would like to suggest that a target of 20% energy from renewables at these sites should be a minimum one; the aim should ultimately be 50 per cent, or more. The development of these sites needs to be planned around their potential for renewable energy generation, as this is more difficult and costly to ‘add in’ at a later date, as well as maximising sustainability and resilience – both for new occupants and surrounding communities – which will strengthen the fabric of the city as a whole.

Retrofitting The largest decrease in emissions from buildings will come from the refurbishment of existing buildings and York must pioneer approaches to adapt its housing stock so they provide lower environmental impact and higher standards of comfort. This needs to be a cross-tenure strategy that addresses social and private renting, as well as owner-occupied housing. York’s housing stock presents a complex set of challenges, not just because of its age but because a number of properties are in conservation areas or have listed building status which prevent home-owners from being able to take measures to reduce their carbon emissions (for example, by installing double glazing or altering window frames). There is a conflict between conservation issues and energy efficiency requirements and these must be resolved to address the pressing issues not just of energy loss but also of fuel poverty. Recommended measures for the retrofitting of existing housing stock, including solar PV and ground-source or air-source heat pumps, are expensive and not always practical or applicable to older houses. Despite the encouragement offered by the Government in the form of Feed-In Tariffs (FiTs), which pay home-owners for the electricity they produce, the up-front costs are currently out of the range of most people’s pockets. However, the prices of these will come down as demand rises, which is already happening to due to the Feed-in Tariff and spiralling energy bills. Even with the proposed reduction in the FiT, the visibility of City of York Council’s commitment to installing solar panels on 10,000 council-owned properties will have a knock-on effect. By 2020 it is hoped they will be commonplace. Encouragement for take-up is likely to work best at a community level, where experience can be shared, understanding raised and collective bids made for funding (for example, through the formation of Community Interest Companies) to buy a wind turbine or erect solar panels on a community building, from which shareholders then all benefit from the profits . These should be

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backed up by city-wide campaigns and incentives to help home-owners and businesses increase energy efficiency measures, including possible partnerships with renewable energy suppliers. Opportunities to pioneer working with social housing providers as partners for social tenants should also be encouraged. For existing public and commercial buildings the city must be bold in identifying best ways to use the current building stock and to implement change. Buildings such as the City of York Council’s new headquarters at West Offices, which is being designed to minimise emissions (as well as generating 20 % of its own energy) should be at the forefront of this, presenting an opportunity to showcase working energy-efficiency solutions in a historic building to residents and visitors alike. The example and the message needs to be delivered unambiguously that all types of buildings from schools and offices to all housing types and tenures – and even historic buildings (with suitable and sympathetic adaptations, eg slate-grey solar panels to match roof tiles) – can generate their own power. What better message to send out to the world about York’s status as a sustainable city than to put solar PV on the roof of York Minster? Conclusion In order to ‘power down’ our economy (ie reduce our energy demand) and hit the targets for emissions reductions that we are committed to by law, really significant cuts must be made to the emissions from the built environment. Those cuts can be brought about in many different ways and new technology and designs will drive this, along with a sustained energy efficiency/demand reduction programme through retrofitting housing stock. For this to happen successfully the principle must be understood that maintaining and enhancing the character of the city need not preclude change in the physical fabric and, where appropriate, replacement of existing buildings. York Environment Forum believes that, in a future York, we should be able to recognise the early 21st century as a period of rich and positive change in the city, with new iconic buildings adding to York’s architectural mix, and not as a time of reaction to crisis.

1.5 ECO TOURISM: It’s not just about shopping …

Tourism is one of the mainstays of the York economy. York has four million visitors a year, generates 10,600 jobs and an income worth £364m annually for the city. However, it also generates its own emissions, especially from travel, and it is highly vulnerable to global factors. There is a conflict at the heart of York’s dependence on tourism – especially international tourism – in that the emissions generated by aviation are making an increasing contribution to climate change and must be curbed. Hence the emphasis must be on promoting more sustainable ways to travel to, and around, York . York Environment Forum recognises that York depends heavily on tourism, and will continue to do so in the future. Therefore, if York is to become a model for sustainable cities worldwide, then we need tourists to come to York to see for themselves what can be achieved and to take that message home with them (combined, perhaps, with a home-grown carbon offsetting scheme that could make a real contribution to helping to reduce emissions locally, as well as providing additional resources – eg biodiversity offsetting, by creating a new nature reserve or tree planting). Making York Britain’s greenest city would create a new strand of ‘eco-tourism’ as well as an explosion of opportunities for festivals, conferences and events. Unsurprisingly, competition for this title, with the potential for growth that it represents, is intense and many other cities are chasing it. York will need to move fast to claim this crown, and the profitable ‘jewels’ that go with it.

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Partnership opportunities ‘Visit York’ has its own Vision for Tourism in York, which aims to build on York’s distinctiveness, enhance the quality of the visitor experience and promote York as a ‘world-class’ destination. There are considerable opportunities for Visit York and its partners and stakeholders in the tourism industry to achieve their own objectives by throwing their weight behind a concerted push to make York the UK’s leading sustainable city by 2020. Visit York’s objectives include: ‘additional resources for sustainable investment in tourism’; ‘developing York’s position as a leading European cultural centre combining unique heritage and a modern outlook’ and ‘enhancing York’s public realm so it becomes the most special place in England’. These all fit with objectives outlined in this paper and Professor Simpson’s Vision, which focuses on improving the quality of our public spaces and making York more beautiful, as well as more accessible, especially by public transport. What visitors most like about York is its heritage (79%) and its museums and attractions (60%) (shopping accounts for only 33%)19 . The best way to enjoy these is on foot and Visit York promotes York’s ‘pedestrian-focused historic core’ and ‘traffic-free city centre’. It also mentions the possibility of a footbridge over the Ouse and more pavement cafes. York Environment Forum could like City of York Council, Visit York and partners to work together on this to achieve the objective that we all seek – a mobile, uncongested, clean and unpolluted city centre, pleasant and easy to walk or cycle around or to sit out in and preferably one that is car-free within the city walls [see Mobile City]. The fact that 40% of visitors already arrive by coach, bus or train is encouraging; this could be increased hugely if public transport provision was improved. Achieving the goal of becoming a leading sustainable city, one with new sights to see and ‘quality experiences’, would extend the range of options York has to offer, which are currently centred on the city’s history. This would require the active co-operation of all sectors of the tourist industry, from travel (eco tourist buses run on hydrogen or green electricity) to guest houses and hotels. A national Green Tourism Business Scheme already exists, but other regions and cities now have their own sustainable tourism projects and York would benefit from this, too, which would help to create the forward-looking York brand (the Little Apple scheme?). The International Centre for Responsible Tourism, based at Leeds Met University, has produced a toolkit to help tourism promote sustainability20 and could be a potential partner for York to work with on this. Other opportunities include an exemplar ‘green’ hotel, green tourist trails/maps – not just within the city centre, but hiking and biking trails through the city’s ‘green wedges’ – and cycle taxis (pedicabs). Bike hire for tourists has already been introduced; as the cycling culture in York improves further and is made safer still, York’s reputation as a cycling city could generate another strand of sustainable tourism. Conclusion: York needs to look for new angles in its tourism. By 2020, higher air fares are quite likely to impact negatively on international tourism and hence bring about an increase in the number of holidays taken by UK residents. Diversifying beyond the emphasis on heritage into eco-tourism, cycling tourism and other niche markets – nature tourism (a market growing by 20% a year) and holidays involving personal development, child-centred, outdoor and artistic themes are all on the increase – will provide fruitful ways forward. The city’s food culture, epitomised by the York Festival of Food and Drink, could, supported by a city-wide food-growing initiative (see Resilient City) and promoted through hotels, cafes and restaurants, become another profitable avenue, consolidating the York brand. York already has a reputation as Britain’s friendliest city; it now has real potential to show the world how a quintessentially English historic city can also be a contemporary and sustainable one. Moreover, the embracing of these objectives by the tourism sector and its partners would help to create an impetus and a direction for the whole city, which would be positive, creative and help to attract new businesses and visitors.

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PART 2: MOBILE CITY

York is jammed at peak times21 and remains heavily congested throughout much of the day. On the current models for future traffic volumes, even the best estimates predict a substantial increase in traffic22. The unsafe and illegal levels of air pollution in some parts of York, generated in large part by traffic, has already been discussed. Emissions from transport are responsible for 28% of York’s total carbon footprint. In short, the current transport system is failing our health, our environment, our city and our people. It requires a radical re-envisaging. We believe that ultimately, York’s aim should be to go car-free within the city walls. This is not only York Environment Forum’s Vision. The York: New City Beautiful report advocates the same principle of extending the Footstreets to the city walls and acknowledges that ‘to achieve a high-quality public realm we need to reduce vehicular access to the city centre’. The report’s author, Professor Alan Simpson, has publicly stated, ‘If there is one city in England that needs to get rid of the single private motor car, it is York’. Transport specialist Professor John Whitelegg of York’s Stockholm Environment Institute, one of the authors of ‘Towards a Zero-Carbon Future for UK Transport’ (2010), has been equally forthright: ‘There’s an enormous missed opportunity in York. York could easily be car-free within the city walls.’ City of York Council itself supported a successful bid for York to host the ‘Towards Carfree Cities IX’ conference in June 2010 and the council’s then leader, Cllr Andrew Waller, was a keynote speaker at the conference. The conference also backed the street closure on Bishopthorpe Road described in our Vision. As the Stockholm Environment Institute’s transport report states, ‘There are no technical, financial, organisational or other obstacles that would put [the objective of a zero carbon transport system] out of reach, though a willingness to move boldly and decisively in this direction has yet to be demonstrated.’ The sentiments apply equally to restricting private motor cars in York’s core. Speaking at the conference, Professor Whitelegg said, ‘Urban space can be radically re-engineered at relatively little cost … the process could easily be accomplished in bite-sized actions.’

MOBILE CITY: THE VISION

‘York is the first UK city to become congestion-free by phasing out the need for private

motor cars within its city walls, the requirement being unnecessary due to an excellent

integrated walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure. This is complemented

by car-sharing clubs, plug-in points for electric vehicles, improved river and rail transport

and fast, frequent, affordable bus services.

York’s suburbs and villages enjoy robust and sustainable links to the city with transport

nodes on the outer ring road providing centres for car-share clubs, car hire, cycle hire,

taxis and buses in and out of the city.’

Congestion in York is affecting air quality

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Nothing would make a bolder statement about York’s commitment to becoming an exemplar sustainable city, and York is already part-way there: its pedestrianized Footstreets (a radical step itself when they were introduced by the city council in 1987) have, quite literally, paved the way; York already has one of the largest pedestrianized zones in Europe. York Environment Forum welcomes the proposals set out in the City Centre Accessibility and Mobility Framework, which goes a significant way down this path and sets out a constructive and realistic approach to implementing such changes. We have everything to win: a human-scale, people-centred environment with a massive improvement in quality of life and all the economic benefits that will flow from that. It is time to have the courage of our convictions and go for it. A car-free core In removing private cars from the city’s core, it should be emphasised that every citizen has the right of access; it is the mode of transport that we wish to see change. Disabled drivers/passengers will not be penalised; indeed the city will be more accessible and user-friendly for people with mobility problems. The transition will not be forced, though it does require a timescale and, ultimately, a changeover deadline (before 2020). Remodelling the transport system will be a gradual process, facilitated by a combination of strategies, outlined below. Extending the existing Footstreets areas of York To be done in stages, trialling road (and bridge) closures to private cars, as well as pilot projects and car-free days in consultation with residents and businesses. York consulted on extending the Footstreets in 2010, with the City’s executive concluding that ‘Extending the Footstreets will help maximise opportunities for enhancing cultural, tourist and evening economies, improve pedestrian accessibility, enhance the setting of iconic buildings such as the Minster and support retail in some of the less visited areas of the city.’ So, it seems, there is political and public support for this (and from the tourist industry – see Ecotourism). The Environment Forum commends recent proposals to make Fossgate York’s newest footstreet and to extend the footstreet zone towards Monk Bar through the Reinvigorate York initiative.

Phasing out the need for the private car within the city walls This would be achieved by rendering the requirement to own a car unnecessary, due to an excellent integrated public transport infrastructure. If the alternatives are good quality, reliable and more cost-effective than motoring, then the switch from private to public transport becomes the commonsense choice. For this to happen, bus services must be:

Frequent, on a dense network and operate throughout the day (and evening), with city traffic management techniques deployed to give them priority.

Other measures should include an orbital ‘hop on, hop off’ bus service, shuttle services in the central area and cheaper fares for all.

Buses stops should never be more than a 10-minute walk from any point. A Quality Contract with bus operators would give the City much greater control over routes,

fares and timetabling.

Other vehicular alternatives to private car ownership Car clubs (eg City Car, Whip Car) to be actively promoted (including by council employees,

officers and members) and use encouraged in York’s suburbs, neighbourhoods and, especially, in new developments, where access to car clubs should be a standard feature.

A network of plug-in points for electric vehicles across the city, as these are likely to be much more widely taken up in the future.

River buses/water taxis/ferries

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Taxis (preferably hybrid/electric) ‘Taxibuses’ (fleets of minibuses/people carriers whose drivers co-ordinate door-to-door

journeys through satnav, a central computer system and GPS via mobile phones to pick up passengers and route each vehicle).

Small, flexible, private/partnership bus services, especially linking to rural areas/villages Other, more ambitious alternatives, which would be dependent on substantial infrastructure

capital spend, include ‘tram-trains’ (trams were a regular feature in York a century ago; the modern version, which can transfer directly from rail tracks to tram tracks, is being used in Manchester and Sheffield); also light rail vehicles (LRVs), which do not have overhead wires but run on easily laid fibreglass tracks with a ground power supply only activated directly under the LRV itself (these are now being used in Bordeaux).

Promoting behavioural change Some of the measures suggested below are in operation or under discussion; others are not. We have not included ‘congestion charging’, as practised in London, because York Environment Forum does not feel this is a democratic solution. Ultimately, the high costs of petrol (unlikely ever to go down and very likely to climb much higher due to Peak Oil) will undoubtedly start to perform this function and prompt drivers to seek cheaper alternatives. Incentivising a move away from private car ownership can be done by active measures such as:

encouraging cycling to school or work through the provision of free/cheap bikes or discounted loans for new bikes

cycle training restricting, or charging for, workplace parking (the latter represents a revenue stream that

could be secured for investment in public transport – it’s already being done in Nottingham, but would need to be undertaken in conjunction with York’s business community);

cycle challenges, races, rides and better facilities for commuters that cycle (eg York’s new cycle Hub Station), as well as showers/changing facilities in the workplace for cyclists

mapping York into ‘No Excuse Zones’ (cycle paths to work that a healthy person can manage in under 30 mins; this is already used in some Australian cities);

easy-to-access ‘Smart’ travel (personalised travel planning) to help people to make the best use of alternatives

Travel cards/cheaper fares for all incentives/rewards (a weekly lottery to win free travel cards?) car-sharing clubs/community ‘car pools’ More bus stops, closer together, to make them more accessible Changes in the planning system so that more services/facilities are available locally ‘Cross-ticketing’ (one ticket for a journey that may include more than one mode of

transport) Oyster cards or similar swipe-card system Reducing the speed limit to 20mph across the city (and in villages, where fast roads with

speeding vehicles actively put people off cycling) Promoting psychological change Cars symbolise feelings of control, power, status, autonomy, self-image … getting rid of a car requires a change of attitude about what cars mean to us (more on this in The Big Shift, p ?) and people are at different stages in their readiness to do this. Good green intentions aren’t enough. Not having your own car needs ultimately to be seen as a social norm and this requires a combination of awareness-raising, publicity (role models, eg celebrities), legislation and ‘branding’. Once people see

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past what they are ‘doing without’ and see instead what they are gaining – saving money, getting fitter, enjoying a good quality life - the switch becomes easier. Cycling in York

York is one of the UK’s leading ‘cycling cities’ and investment has brought about some real improvements, raising the profile and the uptake of cycling in the city. More cycle paths (off-road wherever possible) would encourage further take-up, especially on routes to schools, while identifying and creating quicker cross-town routes needs to be explored (though the sensitive issue of shared space with pedestrians needs to be resolved first). Initiatives such as The Hub Station’s option of ‘buying’ a recycled bike, which can be returned and a proportion of the money reimbursed) should be supported.

Cycle hubs/stations and dedicated cycle paths should be standard in new developments. Ample, well distributed and secure cycle parking is vital for York’s cycling ethos to grow. Embracing cycling as a city-wide initiative should be cultivated from primary schools to workplaces through a publicity campaign that (a) specifically identifies York with cycling, and (b) portrays cycling as a key element to York’s future success/prosperity (‘Bike to the Future’?). York has done well, but it could, and should, do much more. We need to look to how cycling is embedded in the culture of European cities such as Berlin, Basel, Trondheim and Freiburg, as well as cities like Portland in Oregon and San Francisco. In Amsterdam, the world’s top cycling city, over 40 per cent of the population cycle, while Copenhagen, ‘The City of Bikes’, is almost as well populated by cyclists23. Already, 37 per cent of Copenhagen’s inhabitants cycle; the city’s target is 50 per cent. Our Vision for cycling in York should be equally ambitious. By 2020, cycling should be a way of life here and bikes and people, rather than cars, should have priority. Connections to, across and beyond York The problems of congestion, air pollution and CO2 emissions caused by cars and other motor vehicles won’t be solved if we simply push the problem out of York’s core and onto the inner road and radial routes (which is where the two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) are, at Nunnery Lane and Fulford). This is why a fully integrated and highly efficient public transport system is necessary that connects in, out and across York, so that cars become the last choice of transport, rather than the first. For the purposes of York Environment Forum’s Vision for 2020, this is the crucial factor. We support Professor Alan Simpson’s longer-term proposal in the New City Beautiful report for a number of transport nodes on York’s outer ring road (‘Park and Go’ centres, designed as multi-choice transport stations set in landscaped ‘country parks’), which would be developed from the Park and Ride centres. As they stand now, improved services for non-car-owners (car hire, car clubs, taxi-buses or minibuses) could be included at all Park and Rides, which would help to facilitate sustainable links with the countryside and surrounding villages, as well as in to the town. People in rural villages are currently heavily dependent on cars for transport and are particularly vulnerable to rising fuel prices (and, without a car, to physical isolation). Developing sustainable transport in villages is very different from urban areas and a one-size-fits all strategy is impossible.

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Locally derived solutions based on commonsense solutions for peoples’ needs (‘Smarter Choices’) usually require a range of partners and are often driven by local champions. Operators of standard fixed bus services find it difficult to make such routes profitable but flexibly routed bus services (also called ‘demand responsive’), community transport, school transport and non-emergency health transport all have significant roles to play. Communities will need to, and are already, coming together to creative alternatives such as community car-sharing, car hire/clubs, shared school runs, ‘walking buses’, ad hoc lifts . Other alternatives that are now being looked at include the reopening of branch lines, which would take a significant load off the city’s arterial roads in terms of rush-hour commuter traffic. Rural transport must be viewed in the context of improving local resilience, which will be as – and perhaps even more – important in villages than it is in the city in the future. Strengthening of communities, local food growing, home working, local industries, farming and rural businesses and the retention of rural shops, schools, pubs and services, such as Post Offices, are all vital for these to flourish and will also reduce the need to travel so far or so frequently. Buses Eco-sensitive buses (electric and hybrid) are now being trialled in York on the Park&Ride system. These and other alternative-fuel buses, such as hydrogen-powered, will be the public transport mainstays of the future and should be planned for and introduced over the next few years so that, by 2020, York has a clean, green bus fleet that is the backbone of the city’s transport system. The same standards must apply to tourist buses. While many in York would like to see the creation of a bus station, the city lacks space for this currently. Should the York Central site, with its close proximity to York Station, come ‘on stream’ it would present the optimal location for a new ‘eco’ bus station with integrated transport links across, out and beyond York. Freight Freight is a major contributor to road congestion and vehicle emissions in York, and a substantial proportion of this is caused by lorries and trucks making deliveries in and around the city. One way to tackle this would be for deliveries by road haulage to be co-ordinated logistically from outside of the city on a ‘postal’ basis, so that only one lorry delivers to a street or area rather than many. York Environment Forum understands that City of York Council is investigating the development of a lorry routing strategy and welcomes the inclusion of a transhipment centre as part of the strategic development of the city through the LDF process. It is essential that momentum for this proposal is maintained. Alterations in freight delivery times (eg early morning) provide another method of

GREEN BUSES

London has set the standard, opening the UK’s ‘largest and greenest’ bus garage in July 2010 in

West Ham. It has been designed to cut emissions by a third, as well as generating a proportion

of its own electricity. Double-decker hybrid buses are already operating in the capital and by

2012 all new buses entering the fleet will be hybrid, with the ‘New Bus for London’ being 40 per

cent less polluting than diesel equivalents. The bus fleet is also introducing a limited number of

hydrogen buses, which produce only water vapour from their tailpipe.

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avoiding congestion, while smaller and lighter freight can be delivered short distances by bike couriers or other non-polluting modes, such as electric vehicles. Use of the rivers is another possible solution and the River Ouse has been designated a key inland waterway with freight potential by the Department of Transport24. Freight is currently transported on the Ouse between Selby and Goole, but not further upstream to York; barges of up to 1000 tonnes can be accommodated as far as Selby and up to 400 tonnes to York25. Intermodal freight transport such as waterways-rail connections have also been mapped by the DfT and show possibilities for York. Rail York’s railway history means that today it has an established role as a strategic transport hub and with it the potential to bring in new, green industries as well as providing a sustainable means of travel to, from and within York. This could be improved by building new local stations for shuttle services and investing in new train technology as well as improved capacity for commuters. Expansion of rail freight options, eg ‘LorryRail’ (being used in France; uses special rail cars to transport lorry shipments overnight by rail26) should also be explored. Planning and conversion The Carfree Cities website27 identifies the three principal needs that drive the designs of cities as:

high quality of life

efficient use of resources

fast transport (of people and goods).

These needs give rise to certain ‘design standards’ for carfree cities, principally rapid transport – it should be possible to get anywhere in a city within considerably less than one hour with no more than one transfer, and nearby stations – bus stops should ideally be no more than a five-minute walk, to allow for considerations of time and those with limited mobility, and certainly no more than ten minutes. Other design standards include nearby green space, low-rise residential buildings and economical freight. (More on this, and the planning and conversion process proposed by the so-called ‘Lyon Protocol’, are on the Carfree Cities website). Carfree and proud! York has the opportunity to take a very positive step towards tackling city-centre congestion with the York City Centre Movement and Accessibility Framework Report28, which the York Environment Forum wholeheartedly supports (and took part in the original consultation on). Its recommendations set out a realistic and practical process for significantly cutting congestion through a combination of traffic management cells, extending the footstreets, closing some of the bridges to motorised vehicles, de-trafficked routes for buses and, crucially, emphasizing the ‘walkable’ scale of the city by reclaiming its ‘heart’ for pedestrians. While the adoption of the City Centre Movement and Accessibility Framework would not render York car-free, it would signal a significant message about the city’s intentions in this direction. The move from there to establish York as an essentially car-free city would become much easier as it would introduce the cultural and behavioural change necessary to facilitate this more radical step.

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An appreciation of all the benefits to be gained by becoming a car-free city is fundamental to winning public support for this Vision, which, realistically, may still be in the process of evolving by 2020. However, that, ultimately, should be the goal. To quote again from ‘Towards a Zero Carbon Vision for UK Transport’, ‘A zero-carbon transport future will provide better access for more people to do more things .. . Traffic congestion and time wasted stuck in jams will be a thing of the past and time currently spent on commuter trips will be spent on rewarding and enriching activities. . . ‘Those who opt not to use a car will save thousands of pounds a year and will also avoid the uncertainties and potential disruption of oil price shocks as the world adjusts to shortages of supply and increased demand from developing countries … Individuals and families will have improved air quality, reduced noise and stress from traffic and much improved community life… the shift to bike, foot and public transport will increase spending in shops, create jobs and boost the local economy.’ Better health, greater wealth and more happiness for individuals and a mobile, prosperous, secure city … once people (and politicians!) feel – the benefits of going carfree, the hardest work is done.

PART 3: RESILIENT CITY

RESILIENT CITY: THE VISION

‘York is better able to sustain itself economically and physically with a network of

ward-based communities centred on schools as community hubs. Residents of all

ages are clued up about green living and support each other at grassroots level

through neighbourhood and voluntary groups, facilitated by a progressive city

council. This stimulates local employment, shops and services and creates resilience,

reducing reliance on vulnerable and expensive global markets.

‘Food crops, orchards, micro-plots, roof gardens, allotments and communal vegetable

growing abound and the emphasis on local produce, embraced by hotels and

restaurants, boosts the rural economy. Clean energy from microgeneration helps to

power homes and businesses and waste is seen as a resource. All of this is part of a

city-wide ethos not just to reduce York’s ecological and carbon footprints but also to

show that a resilient city is a healthy, smart, prosperous and secure one, too.

Above left: Fossgate, soon to become York’s newest Footstreet. Above right: a bus in front of Cliffords Tower

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What does ‘Resilience’ mean? ‘Resilience’ is a term that we generally understand to mean the ability (eg of a person, material or ecosystem) to recover from a sudden or unexpected shock or disturbance and return to the original state. ‘Local Resilience Forums’ – multi-agency partnerships between local authorities, emergency services, the Health Service, professional organisations and voluntary groups – exist for every area with a remit of planning and co-ordinating responses to major incidents and catastrophes. However, catastrophe may not be brought on suddenly and the lead up to major incidents (eg flooding, a food riot, loss of power, water shortages) may be a gradual, almost imperceptible one. Climate change will certainly precipitate sudden and catastrophic events in the future, and peak oil and economic contraction will also impose severe stresses on our lifestyles that could have calamitous consequences. The scope of the term, specifically as it applies to ‘local resilience’, is broadening. Fundamentally, it’s not only about what’s needed to ‘keep the show on the road’ in times of crisis, but a recognition that the crisis, precipitated by climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels, is a long-term and on-going one. Resilience is a term that is commonly used by the Transition Movement29 but it is now beginning to become part of local authority parlance. Local authorities are aware of the threats that face us. The challenge is to communicate the severity of the situation and, critically, to garner political and public support for the measures that need to be taken to tackle them. A sustainable city, as York aspires to be, stands the best chance of riding out the uncertainties with the least disruption to the fabric of the city and the lives of local people. This section of our Vision for looks at some of the principal areas and ways that we can build resilience for York by 2020.

FOOD: Eat Your Heart Out - Locally Food security – a global problem Britain is now the least self-sufficient in food it has been since 196830. As a country, we produce less than 60% of our food (this is based on price so it may not accurately reflect the true situation as it doesn’t account for the volume or calorific value of the food produced) and we are more dependent on imports than ever before. Globally, food prices are running at a record high due to the cost of oil, the rapidly expanding global population and competition for resources (eg US grain being diverted from food to biofuels). What food security we have is perilously linked to non-renewable resources like oil and phosphates (used in fertilisers) and to the devastating effects of climate change (drought and flooding ruining harvests, sea-level rises reducing agricultural land). With the world’s population predicted to increase from 6.7 billion to 9 billion by 2050 (and from 60 million to 71 million in the UK by 2031) there is a growing awareness that ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option. Food security is now as critical as energy security. The future on our plates Much of what we can do here in York will be determined by the national agenda, particularly as it relates to farming, as well as the major supermarkets (the ‘big four’ account for around 75% of the UK grocery market). However, a localised food economy will play a fundamental role in helping to provide resilience for York as we move towards 2020. The Soil Association’s plan for food-growing in

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Britain includes rebuilding regional food and family communities and that is now starting to happen in places like Todmorden in Lancs, where the Incredible Edible31 movement started, and in London with the Capital Growth Scheme (a plan to turn 2,012 derelict pieces of land into growing spaces by 2012) under ‘food czar’ Rosie Boycott. Inspired by Todmorden, York now has its own group, Edible York32, launched in 2010 with offshoots Abundance and Gardenable. The importance of food growing, especially in urban areas – traditionally perceived as lacking the means or space to do this – extends beyond the cultivation of fruit and vegetables for consumption. Food is a powerful connective force; it brings people together in all sorts of ways and the processes required to grow it automatically introduce self-sufficiency. Even people who don’t see themselves as ‘green’ see the sense in growing food, as the rise in demand for allotments and the boom in sales of seeds have demonstrated. Growing food can be the first step on a life-changing path that acknowledges environmental stewardship and individual responsibility through direct, hands-on contact with the soil. Action, not arguments, is the best way to win hearts and minds, as well as, crucially, putting food on our tables. As Pam Warhurst of Incredible Edible Todmorden says, ‘It’s about behavioural shift … we use the Trojan horse of food to change our future’. Chloe Smee, who runs Edible York, seconds this. ‘Change is communicated by the doing and we’re planting the seeds for the future of our city. A community-led local food economy makes sense from every angle, from community cohesion to health. And it makes you feel good about life in the process.’ Getting growing Food-growing must be encouraged as an integral part of life in the city, with increased provision of allotments, micro-plots, community gardens and Landshare schemes (which allow diversification of farmland by facilitating partnerships between landowners and small-scale commercial farmers)33. The emphasis on local food growing should be given the same level of priority as the war-time ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, with food growing in York’s parks, schools, the perimeters of sports pitches, church yards and any other public spaces that could be under cultivation. Particular emphasis on securing productive land should be given to York’s suburbs, not just attractive displays in the city centre (though we would still like to see vegetables flourishing in front of the Guildhall!).. This will depend on a constructive relationship between Edible York and City of York Council, and York Environment Forum welcomes the positive approach that the council has already shown towards this. Demonstration beds have been planted at the Barbican and Peasholme Green (pictured below) and council officers are working with Edible York to identify others in different areas of the city. Local residents and community groups have also established gardens through partnerships with Edible York, such as Planet South Bank, which has taken over the garden at St

Clement’s Church on Scarcroft Road and has already produced an abundant crop of vegetables. Edible York has now taken on fruit-harvesting (through Abundance York) and is promoting seed-swapping, further community plots and a garden-share scheme, as well as a ‘virtual orchard’ with apple trees planted around the city. York Environment Forum looks forward to York becoming as prolific, fruitful and abundant with fruit and vegetables within a few years as Todmorden is now. It is entirely possible for York to undergo a food-growing revolution so that, by 2020,

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York residents will be able to supplement their diet substantially with locally grown produce and visitors will flock to the city to experience the sights and tastes and ‘edible tours’ offered by the ‘Little Apple’. Kersten England, York’s Chief Executive, has already identified the city as ‘a place where this idea can take root and flourish’. The next step is to bring unused land back into production with a fuss-free, streamlined procurement process that will be cheap and easy for community groups to apply to, allowing them to cultivate the land while City of York Council carries the risk [HAS THIS BEGUN?]. This is needed to ‘free up’ brownfield sites, for example, which may be earmarked for development at a later date but could be used to grow food in the short- or medium term. A plan is needed to drive this forward and to overcome regulatory and institutional barriers. [SEE ABOVE] An audit of demand for land for food-growing and of York’s private and public assets is also required to identify the potential for more allotments and food-growing plots in and around the city. Other partners Educating children (and, in turn, their families) about food-growing should be part of the plan and all York schools encouraged and supported to cultivate their own produce, preferably for the school canteen. This is already happening on an ad-hoc basis and a working group has been formed to set up York Edible Schools, an umbrella organisation that will help to provide resources, organise events, create partnerships and apply for funding on behalf of schools. It is linking up with the York Festival of Food and Drink, an obvious partner and focal point to display and promote York’s bounty. Allotment holders also have a wealth of experience to tap in to and Askham Bryan College has specialist knowledge (and possibly volunteers), as does the York Environment Centre, Fulford Community Orchard, The 5000 and Brunswick Organic Nursery in Bishopthorpe. In Todmorden, organisations from the police station and the fire station to the railway station and the doctor’s surgery food are growing food. The take-up across York could be equally diverse, with businesses, services, restaurants, cafes, theatres, museums, shops, churches (even the Minster!) and municipal gardens all involved. The health service, inparticular, is an important potential partner, with the cultivation of fresh fruit and vegetables offering an incentive to follow a healthier lifestyle and reduce obesity. A joined up approach that brings all these partners together would not only unify York behind the concept of becoming a leading sustainable city, it would also help achieve other strategic aims to do with health and inclusive communities. Moreover, it would be a pleasurable way to help to relieve our dependency on global imports, create resilience and reduce our carbon and ecological footprints. It would also help generate jobs and grow the local economy.

Above left: giving away free veg at Planet South Bank’s community garden with Edible York at St Clement’s Church,

Scarcroft Road. Above right: preparing the beds for planting

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ENERGY AND TRANSITION – Keeping the Lights On Renewable Energy In order to achieve the vision of a low-carbon future, the UK needs to ‘power down’ its demand for energy, whilst at the same time ‘powering up’ through renewables. This is the conclusion of ‘Zero Carbon Britain 2030’34, a report by the Centre for Alternative Technology, and it offers solid strategic solutions to securing future energy supplies. York’s Climate Change Framework and Climate Change Action Plan are committed to reducing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation. It is critical that this commitment is understood and shared by all sectors and partners. A Renewable Energy Viability Study for York to identify the potential for renewable and low-carbon technologies in York was commissioned by City of York Council and published in 201035 . Key opportunities for York are: wind – large-scale and medium scale – as stand-alone installations and on new development sites; hydro; CHP/district heating and integtrated technologies (solar PV/heat pumps) on all new development sites. If all of these were taken up, there is the potential for renewable energy in York to generate 89.9 MW by 2020 and 91.7 MW by 2030. City of York Council is now looking at programmes to accelerate local energy generation across the city with a target of installed grid-connected renewable energy of 31MW by 2021. This is around a third of the potential that could be generated, as identified by the Renewable Energy study, and is a very conservative ambition. Given that high energy prices are already having a significant impact on York’s economy we should be aiming much higher. Wind and water Landlocked and low-lying, the city of York itself does not provide optimum conditions for wind power (apart from on higher ground, such as Heslington East) but the Renewable Energy Study referred to above does identify a number of areas outside the city itself that have the potential for wind power on a large and medium scale. These are based on mapping exercises that take into account wind speeds, physical factors and statutory regulations (eg distance from housing). However, as demonstrated by local resistance to the proposal to erect four large turbines at Copmanthorpe, wind turbines polarise public opinion. It is not just the visual impact that residents object to, but that fact that private companies are seen to be profiting from them. If wind power could be put into community ownership and local people received a share of the profits there might be greater progress with wind power, which offers the best potential to generate renewable energy for our immediate area and to achieve our RE targets. Hydro Hull is planning to generate 15% of its electricity using tidal energy from the Humber Estuary. While York does not have these natural advantages it does have potential for hydro-electricity at Naburn Lock, Linton-on-Ouse and, to a lesser degree, on the River Foss, according to an Environment Agency map of ‘hydro hotspots’36 for smaller-scale projects. The RE study estimates York could generate 1.3 MW with hydro schemes. Biogas and Biomass There is also potential, at Naburn, for a biogas plant using sewage. According to a report by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology37, biogas production from sewage sludge via

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anaerobic digestion is now a well-established means of generating electricity in the UK and a number of large plants are already operating, for example at Didcot in Oxfordshire. Biogas generated by anaerobic digestion of food waste offers another attractive alternative, particularly since it both reduces waste going to landfill and reduces methane emissions. Biomass burners, using ‘second generation’ lingulocellic material (fast-growing willow and grasses) may contribute to the mix but have limited potential due to the land available to cultivate the biomass and the carbon emissions (and pollutants) from the plants. Drax Power Station has been trialling this. Microgeneration Microgeneration – small-scale (often domestic) generation of electricity – was given a real boost by the introduction of the feed-in tariff [FiT], so much so that the Government has now altered the payback terms, rendering it a less attractive and economically viable offer in the short term. This has stymied many planned community and local authority schemes for installing solar PV on the roofs of schools, community buildings, council houses and council properties, as well as deterring home-owners. The Government claims that its Green Deal, a carbon reduction project that offers loans to homeowners to install renewable technology and insulation (repaid out of the savings on energy bills), will help this. Solar energy, using solar panels or photovoltaics (PV), is a realistic prospect for microgeneration in York, particularly on existing housing stock, and this applies to private homes, council houses and social housing. There is a massive market for this in York, and it has the potential to generate many jobs. A cross-tenure strategy should be pursued, with a renewable energy company set up with City of York Council as a partner, as has been achieved successfully in Kirklees38. Social housing providers should be included in the strategy: the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a briefing paper on this39. If this were to be initiated now, by 2020 the process of installing solar PV on every south-facing roof could be a reality. The city may also be able to site solar collectors at other strategic points around York (what about the Community Stadium?) which could be sold on to the national grid. A Powerful Mix No single renewable energy source provides a comprehensive solution; only a mix of renewables, together with integrated technologies and vastly improved domestic insulation, can come close to producing the energy savings and energy generation necessary for the ‘power down/power up’ formula that will be necessary by 2020. The more that communities have ownership of, and enjoy the financial benefits of renewable energy, the greater the interest – and therefore the take up – will be. Municipalities in Europe40, in particular, have already discovered the potential that profits from collectively owned renewable energy sources can bring about (investment in infrastructure, improvements to facilities). This has created a positive attitude towards these technologies, meaning that people are united in favour of them, rather than against them, which is more often the case here. Transition York Environment Forum believes that a bolder, community-led ‘energy descent’ plan is needed in order to undertake the essential transition from where we are now to a carbon-neutral local economy, either on a city-wide basis or as a pilot project at ward level. This is the model that the

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Transition Movement uses and it is called a Transition Initiative*. The movement began in Kinsale in County Cork in Ireland in 2005 and by 2007 Bristol became the first UK city to join (Bristol has 12 Transition groups, each area operating like an autonomous village, which helps to streamline the process). Other UK cities including Manchester, Norwich, Exeter, Southampton, Durham, Coventry, Edinburgh and Derby have all got their own Transition Initiatives, as has York, and there are many towns, villages, boroughs and even islands throughout the UK and abroad – the movement has spread worldwide – in the Transition Network. All are working to answer the same question: ‘For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly rebuild resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil and economic contraction) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of climate change)?’ The process of transitioning from peak oil to local resilience involves the following steps:

raising awareness of the issues connecting with existing groups forming groups to look at key areas (eg food, transport, energy, etc) launching practical projects (eg community owned wind turbine; food growing) engaging in a community-wide ‘visioning’ process launching a community-defined and community inspired ‘energy descent action plan’ with a

timescale typically of 15-20 years. (Totnes in Transition has published the UK’s first EDAP, available to read on line*)

Transition initiatives recognize the importance of expanding work with neighbourhood groups and schools to raise awareness about the need to save energy, which is essential in gaining public support for the more disruptive changes and to help people understand that this is a paradigm shift. While Transition is a ‘bottom up’ movement that works independently of the state, some local authorities have embraced the philosophy (Somerset County Council became the first ‘Transition Authority’ in 2008) and the network clearly has the potential to be more effective with a sympathetic and supportive local authority, especially if the objectives are integrated into strategies. York already has one transition group (York in Transition) and a number of other community groups and organisations (eg Planet South Bank, Green Neighbourhood Challenge/Good Life Initiative, St Nicholas Fields Environment Centre) that are working in these areas. Further development of the work of these groups, and support and integration with City of York Council and, crucially, other partners – education, health, community groups, police, faith groups – is now vital for York to steer a successful path through the rocky times ahead. Not only will this give us the necessary resilience, it will bring about economic, social and environmental benefits that will have a positive effect and result in better quality lives for all.

LOCALISM – Keeping it Simple Promoting localisation of the economy – and the conditions for a vibrant local economy of manufacturing, services and food production to thrive – is fundamental to ensuring resilience. A human-scale city needs good resources: excellent local shops and facilities that are accessible on foot or by bike or well served by public transport. Emphasis on localisation goes hand-in-hand with decoupling from unsustainable, global-corporation dominated elements of the world economy and with moving away from a car-based economy. It promotes pride, loyalty and community spirit and, by its very size and capabilities, helps to create a self-limiting model. Co-operatives and social enterprises that involve the community and feed profits back into that community are effective ways of sustaining and reintroducing services (pubs, post offices, shops),

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particularly for suburbs and villages. It is vital that small towns and villages build resilience into their own models. Villages are likely to be better provided for in terms of growing space; here the need is for local co-ordination and community enterprise. Food co-ops, village shops (some are now springing up in pubs), box schemes, the revival of local services (milk/egg rounds), farm shops, farmers markets, mobile shops and ‘pop-up’ shops will all reduce reliance on supermarkets, decrease the distance needed to travel, create jobs and stimulate the local economy, increasing resilience. Regional and local models of trade and production will become increasingly important as the cost and scarcity of energy and raw materials rises due to worldwide demand outstripping supply. Resilience in these circumstances will come from efforts to rediscover neglected techniques and to apply modern technologies to new manufacturing activity (eg the National Non-Food Crops Centre) closer to where products are used. York’s Science City has a key role to play in this and if private industry were given incentives to set up partnerships/businesses in this area the scope for jobs is considerable. York should give every encouragement to small-scale manufacturing that can substitute local products for cheap but unsustainable imports and for establishing repair/reuse workshops, which would also create apprenticeships and jobs.

OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT – Treading Lightly

Our ecological footprint is the amount of physical space – calculated in terms of food, water, energy, materials – a person requires to maintain their current lifestyle. The ecological footprint for York has been calculated by the Stockholm Environment Institute as 4.72 hectares per person41. If everyone lived like this, we would require three planets-worth of resources to sustain us. Since our resources are being rapidly depleted by a vastly expanding global population, this presents all of us with a supreme challenge. York Environment Forum has already discussed the potentially disastrous situations with regard to food, fuel and other shortages (including water, minerals and raw materials) we could be facing by 2020 (or even earlier, given current economic indicators). We have also talked about building local resilience, which will be key to our success – or otherwise – as a city in the future. However, for York to achieve this resilience, we need to be a slimmed-down city, one that is consuming far fewer resources and living truly sustainably (ie within our environmental means). In effect, not so much a ‘big’ society as a ‘fit’ society, one that really does ‘tread lightly on the earth’. Given that York’s population is going to grow42 we need a strategy that acknowledges and accommodates the increased burden on resources, is elastic enough to encompass the change and is realistic about our capacity for physical and population growth. York: light on its (ecological) feet? The commitment to reducing York’s ecological footprint is an important part of The Strategy for York, the overarching vision for the city to 203043. York Environment Forum welcomes this and champions the reduction that it proposes. The Sustainable City chapter has a target to reduce this progressively to 0.94 hectares per person by 2050 (including the associated reduction of carbon footprint from 12.61 to 2.52 tonnes per person, on a 2006 baseline). The changes needed to achieve this scale of reduction within less than 40 years – and within most of our lifetimes – will be massive. We cannot start soon enough.

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A target has not yet been set for a reduction in our ecological footprint by 2020 and York Environment Forum believes that this must be put in place by the time of the next refresh of the Strategy in 2014, although that will only give us another six years to implement the actions. Regardless of whether we have a figure or not, we can estimate that, as a city, we will need to have reduced our ecological footprint by at least one hectare by 2020 to have any hope of achieving the ultimate goal. Ways in which this may be achieved are discussed in Part 4: The Big Shift (below). Central to reducing York’s ecological footprint (and, equally important, carbon footprint) are the commitments in The Strategy for York concerned with promoting and embedding sustainable lifestyles that emphasise the need for everyone in York to take responsibility for reducing their ecological and carbon footprints. York Environment Forum has also agreed to be one of a number of delivery partners for some aims and ambitions in the Strategy for York, which is a new direction for the Forum and one in which we are eager to play our part.

LIGHT LIVING ….

… means consuming less; producing more of our

own food locally; reducing our waste by

reducing, reusing, recycling and composting;

sharing and lending tools, resources and skills;

using sustainable modes of transport; reducing

our energy use generally and our reliance on

fossil fuels specifically … and embracing the

concept of ‘enoughness’ (being happy with what

we’ve got, rather than always wanting ‘more’).

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PART 4: THE BIG SHIFT: CHANGING ATTITUDES

If York really is to seize the opportunity to move rapidly towards becoming a sustainable city, and indeed, become the UK’s exemplar sustainable city, it will require effective engagement with and widespread involvement of the people of York. Exciting initiatives such as the York Green Neighbourhood Challenge, Cycling City York, Intelligent Travel York and the Sustainable City Education Programme have already started to involve residents in some of the behavioural changes necessary. York Environment Forum believes that there now needs to be a clear strategy for communicating York’s sustainability agenda that recognises the psychology and sociology of behaviour change. This could be developed together with experts at the Stockholm Environment Institute and York Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of York. The sustainability communications agency, Futerra, argues in its report ‘Sell the Sizzle - The New Climate Message’44 that climate change is no longer a scientist's problem, but a salesman's problem. Futerra calls upon government spokespeople, climate campaigners and business advertisers to stop selling visions of ‘climate change hell’ and instead create and sell a new vision of a 'low carbon heaven'48 Another report from the United Nations Environment Programme says that one of the biggest barriers to more people achieving sustainable lifestyles may be how we celebrate and communicate these ideas. The UNEP study points out, 'people will only change their lifestyles in exchange for a better one'.45

GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS York residents might be engaged in many ways:

A city-wide competition, possibly sponsored by a York-based company, inviting residents

to suggest practical initiatives to help York become a sustainable city (with an exciting prize for the winner or, possibly, funding to get the winning initiative off the ground).

Pioneer family Follow the progress of a ‘pioneer family’ in the local press/TV, giving updates throughout the year. The family could win a reward for their dedication, in the form of an eco-friendly holiday. There could be a pioneer family in every ward.

An annual York Green Heroes awards and celebrations for individuals / projects /

businesses that develop innovative schemes to help York on the road to sustainability, along the lines of the Press’s Community Pride Awards.

Developing and rolling out the ‘York Green Neighbourhood Challenge’ model to every

ward in the city.

‘Power to the People’ : York could set up a local renewable energy generation forum to look into schemes for local electricity generation

A city-wide ‘eco-mission’ for York schools (perhaps along the lines of the York Green Neighbourhood Challenge), with prizes and incentives donated by local businesses

‘Green Squad’: an initiative to engage young people through school councils and the

Youth Council, perhaps by targeted events/activities but also by allowing them to participate in the local government process, eg consultations on strategies.

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CREATING A ‘BUZZ’ Stimulating excitement about and interest in sustainable lifestyles can be done by creating a ‘buzz’ (in advertising lingo, this is where ‘selling the sizzle, not the sausage’ comes in). Creative ideas and ‘thinking outside the box’ is necessary to make this enticing but it doesn’t demand expensive campaigns or marketing professionals – often the best ideas come from people themselves. There is so much going on in York already that the public may not be aware of. We need to work in a joined up fashion to make the most of the achievements we already have, as well as to create the inspiration to take these further and embrace the concept of low-carbon living by everyone across the city. Here are some suggestions:

York could have an ‘Open Eco Buildings’ weekend similar to York Open Studios and the Oxfordshire Open Eco-Houses Weekend46 This would be a chance for York residents to visit the EcoDepot, the York Eco Business Centre, York Environment Centre, eco houses at Fieldside Place and other eco buildings. Residents who have eco renovated or retrofitted their houses or installed renewable energy could open up their homes for the event. This would allow people to share their experiences and knowledge and for other residents to see the benefits their own eyes.

A wider ‘Sustainable York’ weekend could celebrate all the buildings, projects and green spaces that are helping to make York a better, greener city.

A ‘green’ map / trail of York for residents and visitors could show all York’s eco buildings, green initiatives (eg the location of Edible York demonstration beds) and green spaces, with information about sustainable ways to reach them.

A big ‘Creating A Sustainable City’ event could bring together inspirational speakers from other towns and cities, businesses and organisations that are getting on and doing it, demonstrating what is possible and the benefits. (City of York Council worked with Friends of the Earth, the Stockholm Environment Institute and other organisations on the Towards Car Free Cities Conference. This could be a similarly productive collaboration.)

The Friends of St Nicholas Fields are currently working with other green groups in the city

and seeking funding to establish a York Green Network (to develop better communication and collaboration between environmental organisations in the city) and a York Green Portal. The portal will be an online, one-stop shop for all things environmental in York. People will be able to quickly and easily find their way to all the local ‘green’ organizations, businesses, learning and volunteering opportunities.

The Incredible Edible movement, begun in Todmorden, has seen the whole community

enthusiastically involved in growing their own food, everywhere around the town*. ‘Edible York’ is now striving to emulate this. [See ‘Food’]

A ‘ Growing York’ competition, along the lines of York in Bloom but specifically geared to towards food growing projects, with lots of different categories for schools, businesses and communities to enter. This could possibly be done in conjunction with the York Festival of Food and Drink.

Further developments could be a Master Gardener scheme as currently being piloted by

Garden Organic, which has trained over 100 volunteer Master Gardeners in Warwickshire,

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Islington and south London. Each volunteer mentors 10 households just starting to grow their own, as well as promote food growing to their community through events, talks, stalls and schools.*

Another initiative, Grow Your Neighbour's Own is about pairing up gardeners with garden owners and landowners to form lasting (gardening) relationships between people who live near each other.

Eco drop-in clinics could be held in community centres, libraries, at ward meetings, schools,

summer fayres, an initiative that has already begun in the South Bank area of York with Planet South Bank* (an independent community group that grew out of the York Green Neighbourhood Challenge)

A ‘Little Green Bus’ (like the Urbie bus used by Youth Services), run on chip fat/green

electricity, which could park up at all the events/venues mentioned above and be a one-stop-shop for advice, hold workshops, erect displays, do presentations, etc.

A ‘Love Local’ Campaign similar to Calderdale’s ‘Totally Locally’* to encourage people to use

their local independently run shops.

A ‘Yorshop’ loyalty card, with reward points for spending in local shops?

A local currency (such as the ‘Totnes pound’) to be used in local shops … the Bishy Road Bond?

Street parties, such as the Bishopthorpe Road one, not only show how pleasant a car-free

street can be but also provide a fantastic opportunity for community engagement/social cohesion (and fun!)

The Little Apple/city orchard project and marketing campaign. Could a specially cultivated

‘York apple’ become emblematic of York’s sustainable city identity? Badges, T-shirts, apple produce, drinks, an ‘apple day’ as held at St Nick’s, only bigger!

YOUNG PEOPLE Schools and Eco-Schools Along with universities, schools provide one of the main powerhouses for awareness-raising and change. Primary Schools tend to have more flexibility within the curriculum and many do an excellent job: children under 11 are relatively well informed about the environment and the basics of climate change and are keen to play their part. (The ‘pester power’ of younger children is seen as a valuable tool in persuading parents to change behaviour, eg changing shopping choices to products with reduced packaging have been prompted after assemblies with Recycler the Robot!). The Eco-Schools accreditation has been of great value in this. Eco-Schools is an international award programme (run by Keep Britain Tidy) that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into school life. Schools work towards gaining one of three awards – Bronze, Silver and the prestigious Green Flag award, which symbolises excellence in the field of environmental activity. Pupils follow a simple seven-step process which helps them to address a variety of environmental themes, ranging from litter and waste to healthy living and

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biodiversity. Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco-Schools programme, providing schools with evidence to quantify environmental success. Eco-Schools are seen as a way of delivering an enhanced national curriculum and are increasingly being recognised by Ofsted as part of their evaluation of schools’ performances. They have been shown to improve children’s leadership skills and academic progress, significantly reduce problems such as littering and vandalism and save schools – and local authorities – considerable amounts of money, by measures such as reducing energy usage, saving water, reducing waste and improving the cleanliness of locales. Some councils are now adopting the Eco-Schools programme as voluntary performance indicators as well as tools to engage with schools. York Environment Forum believes that this should be done in York. Secondary Schools, inparticular, would benefit from the Eco-School programme. On-going environmental education at Secondary School level is less consistent than at Primary School level and many teens disengage with the subject. Currently, the curriculum design includes learning objects about sustainability, particularly in geography and science, and citizenship is developed through PSHE, but more ways need to be found to integrate sustainable activity into school life. Eco-Schools, which are driven by young people from their school councils and eco-committees, can provide that route. Schools as community hubs Another route would be for City of York Council to ensure that there are certain standards that all schools have to meet with regard to sustainability. For example, that all paper is made from recycled paper, that everything that can be recycled is recycled, all waste food is composted, food is locally sourced and energy is monitored with targets for improvements. Setting these standards would make a clear statement in the community and would develop lifelong skills and behaviours in young people that would begin to limit climate change, as well as helping to ensure that children grow up to be responsible, active citizens. With the Government increasingly devolving decision-making to local authorities, schools may have more autonomy in the future. Some (often smaller, rural schools or new builds) are already seizing the initiative, creating outdoor classrooms and ‘greening’ their schools by installing solar panels, growing vegetables or keeping chickens, for example. This ethos should be encouraged across all of York’s schools, maximising every school’s potential for sustainability. Not only would this fulfil the educational requirement – the Government wants all schools to be ‘Sustainable Schools’ by 2020 – but it would also have economic and practical benefits for the schools: microgeneration would generate income through the FiT, food grown on site can be eaten in the school canteen and smart ways of travelling to school (eg walking buses, cycling) reduce congestion and pollution in the area and encourage healthier lifestyles. The city already has an excellent ‘Sustainable Schools Strategy 2010 to 2013’, which needs to be resourced and implemented*. The Friends of St Nicholas Fields will be seeking funding to develop and extend their Sustainable City Education Programme, which currently works with 14 local schools, helping them to cut carbon emissions and waste. Rolling out the programme across York would promote schools as models of sustainability and hubs for change. School buildings, the way they are used and their social structures can all be used for experiments in community learning and engagement, developing the ethos that learning is a two-way process. This would be a logical way of joining up council-led initiatives, eg around energy and transport, and would aid the schools themselves by bringing in funding (eg through room hire); improving the school’s physical fabric and environment; involving more people with the work of the school and ‘adding value’ to the school’s

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academic reputation. Working with partners – local businesses, ward committees/parish councils, community police and community groups – as well as parents/extended families and initiatives such as York Edible Schools would be key to this process.

FUNDING THE SHIFT The issuing of ‘Green Bonds’ is one of the mechanisms for local authorities to raise funds highlighted in a report published by Friends of the Earth in November 2009, ‘Cutting Carbon Locally ~ And How To Pay For It’. The report demonstrates, with 12 case studies, how carbon saving can be funded by local authorities. Amongst the mechanisms detailed are powers to increase business rates for specific purposes and also the possibility of green bonds to fund carbon reduction projects etc. These would provide the opportunity for councils to convince people to invest in local bonds to fund local projects, thereby creating stronger civic engagement. The report also points out that, ‘The great value for most local authorities in learning from best practice elsewhere, particularly in economically straightened times when there is an increased premium on achieving maximum efficiency from public spending. Innovation inevitably involves risk. The chances of success are far greater if one has success (and failure) elsewhere to learn from.’ Strong political or officer leadership is the biggest determinant of success, according to Friends of the Earth’s report, which states: ‘It is often repeated within local authority circles that the policies successfully applied in the “leading” authorities are the product of “special circumstances” or unique funding opportunities. But officers we spoke to in these “leading” authorities were consistent in arguing that, on the contrary, they didn’t feel that they had done anything particularly difficult, that the mechanisms they had used are available to most of their peers, and thus they couldn’t understand why more authorities hadn’t done something similar.’ Raising revenue through local charging mechanisms offers another route for raising revenue. One opportunity to raise new funds and to help deliver transport and strategic objectives is to consider charging mechanisms. Existing legislation gives local transport authorities a number of options: new tolled infrastructure, workplace parking levies, road user charging and the community infrastructure levy. These mechanisms offer local authorities a set of powerful tools for raising capital and revenue with enough flexibility to meet other policy objectives. Road user charging, for example, need not be a ‘congestion charge’- it may be directed at amenity or environmental improvements by focussing on certain areas, types of vehicles or emissions levels. Selling renewable electricity to the National Grid. Local councils are now allowed to sell renewable electricity to the National Grid. Councils will be able to benefit from renewable energy incentives such as the new feed-in tariff. The laws will help councils both to generate revenue and to meet their carbon reduction commitment. The Guardian newspaper reported the following story on Monday 9 August: ‘Local councils will be allowed to sell renewable electricity to the National Grid from today, with the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, urging them to position themselves at the forefront of a power revolution. Huhne has lifted a ban on the sale of surplus electricity to the grid by councils, which say the scheme could raise £100m a year for cash-strapped local authorities in England and Wales. At present only 0.01% of electricity in England is generated by local authority-owned renewables. In Germany the equivalent figure is 100 times higher. The Local Government Association said council-owned wind turbines and solar panels on town halls, council homes, leisure centres and other municipal buildings could be money spinners.

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Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA's environment board, said: "This has the potential to cut energy bills, reduce emissions and raise millions of pounds. . . Councils have lots of buildings, from offices and leisure centres to houses and flats, depots and community centres that could be transformed into local green power stations.’* NB: Proposals submitted under the Sustainable Communities Act have now been passed by the Government to make it easier to introduce renewable energy schemes by introducing permitted development rights for small scale renewable and microgeneration energy. A number of reports highlight the cost-effectiveness of spending on green infrastructure. ‘Grey to Green ~ How we shift funding and skills to green our cities’ (Cabe, 2009). This report shows the huge benefits that accrue from shifting a relatively small absolute amount of resources from ‘grey infrastructure’ to ‘green infrastructure’. However, given increasingly straitened public finances, it is worth noting that significant benefits would also be achieved by ‘greening the grey’ – by integrating green requirements into all mainstream infrastructure projects. This could be achieved, for instance, if the bidding process for all infrastructure projects was used to incentivise the development of green infrastructure.’* (See Green Infrastructure, p??) ‘Living for the city, a new agenda for green cities’* (a report by independent think-tank, The Policy Exchange) highlights how a green, healthy environment goes hand in hand with commercial and economic success and the huge employment potential of developing a green infrastructure. The report reveals an unexpectedly strong relationship between three key policy areas: greater participation in community action and local decision making; greener, healthier and safer city environments; and improved economic growth. It found that the most prestigious offices, the most expensive hotels and the most profitable industrial headquarters tend to be located in the leafiest part of town, and successful managers often invest generously in planting. According to the Policy Exchange report, well-planned improvements to public spaces in town centres can boost commercial trading by up to 40 per cent and high-quality green spaces increase residential property values by 5–7 per cent over identical properties in the same area. ‘The Future is Local ~ Empowering communities to improve their neighbourhoods’ is a new report from the (now axed) Sustainable Development Commission that demonstrates that enabling communities to lead local renewal projects with a neighbourhood-wide approach is the most cost-effective way to ensure our villages, towns and cities are fit for the future and create the conditions for people to thrive: ‘Managing upgrade works on a neighbourhood basis can encourage greater participation and cut costs by 20-30%. Releasing this capacity will help deliver the scale and speed of change needed to meet the economic, carbon and resource efficiency targets our future depends on.’ ‘If we are to make the improvements required to tackle climate change alongside delivering… wider economic, environmental and social benefits that will improve the quality of life for everyone we must look at new ways of working. This means looking at ways in which we can make existing resources work harder through efficiencies, and finding new ways to access private finance.’