10 out of 10 for Scottish school design? : providing an accessible, sustainable environment for 21st century education

This paper describes an on-going research project which aims to measure the extent to which the social model of disability is embedded within the school design process in Scotland. Proponents of the disability movement have called for societal structures to be reconceived based on the divergent capacities of the individual. The social model of disability can be used to explain the way in which disability is conceptualised as a barrier created by external factors which is imposed over and above an individual’s impairment. This model is used as a basis for conceiving a ‘social model of architecture’ and exploring the progress of architectural practice in responding to change. The largest school building programme in the history of Scotland has taken place, yet there is no conclusive research evaluating the performance of accessible design. This project investigates the inclusive education discourse in Scotland and its relevance to the built environment, the extent to which best practice guidelines are being met and the degree to which accessibility is considered throughout different stages of the design process. Results will be analysed to discuss the extent to which the social model is embedded within current school design and the case of Scotland’s schools will be used to develop a framework for implementation which takes into consideration a holistic view of the entire design process

Case Study : Community Land Trusts in the Context of Affordable Housing - Cashes Green

This case study was prepared by BRASS (Centre for Business Relationships Accountability, Sustainability & Society) as part of an HCA/ESRC funded research project investigating Skills & Knowledge for Sustainable Communities. The research looked in depth at the skills and knowledge applied in a range of sustainability initiatives concerned with housing, land, food and transport

Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Project

This case study describes cross-community regeneration projects in an area of West Belfast characterised by ethno-religious segregation and inter-community violence. It illustrates how small scale trust-building initiatives have been the basis of increasing co-operation in regeneration projects, which in turn have acted as an effective catalyst in overcoming cross community tensions

Case Study : Stroud Sustainable Integrated Transport - Stroud Valley's Community Car Club (SVCCC) - (Stroud, England)

Transport is an important issue in almost everyone’s lives and is of particular significance in the context of sustainable communities. Car clubs provide a more socioeconomically and environmentally sustainable transport option. Economically they are a cheaper alternative to owning a car due to all the hidden costs of car ownership such as road tax, insurance, service and repair costs. Socially they promote more interaction, encouraging people to use multiple transport options. Environmentally they result in fewer cars on the road, thus reducing traffic congestion and pollution. This case study describes the experience of Stroud Valleys Community Car Club (SVCCC) based on new research (2008)

Co-constructing accountability in Ghana's home grown school feeding programme

The Ghana School Feeding Programme has ambitions to feed 3 million children this year. This paper examines how the potentially confrontational tool of social audit has contributed to constructing an accountability community engaging public, private and civic sectors of society in more effective partnership working , and developing a shared agenda for both ‘proving’ and ‘improving’ what they do