Many cities or local areas can find themselves suffering a period of decline, whether through de-industrialisation of heavy industry or perhaps when one large employer relocates, and can then struggle to attract investment. But instead of seeking to attract investment from outside the local area many communities are joining together to find local solutions. Whether it’s working with their local council to redevelop derelict land into a play area or using an abandoned building as a community centre, by ensuring that local people have a say in the development and are engaged the project is much more likely to succeed and for it to have real value in the community.
The Dudley Street Neighbourhood Initiative empowers Dudley residents to collaborate with community partners to organize and create a vibrant environment in tune with local needs.
Low Impact Living Affordable Community is an award winning ecological co-housing project based on the Danish co-housing model of private housing and communal facilities which provides a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life.
Mondragon Co-operative Corporation is a cooperative in the Basque region of Spain and is one of the largest conglomerates in the world. The cooperative has been praised for the good wages which it offers, and how it empowers employees in decision making. Workers, being members of the company, elect managers and have a say in all major decisions of their company.
Further resources
Burlington Associates in Community Development is a national consulting cooperative which is a valuable resource for those in need of information regarding community land trusts.