1、raising standards worldwideNO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWBSI Standards PublicationBS 8904:2011Incorporating Corrigendum No. 1Guidance for communitysustainable developmentPublishing and copyright informationThe BSI copyright notice displayed in this document in
2、dicates when the documentwas last issued. The British Standards Institution 2012Published by BSI Standards Limited 2012ISBN 978 0 580 78794 2ICS 13.020.20; 03.100.99The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard:Committee reference SDS/1/4Draft for comment 11/30209447 DCPublication
3、 historyFirst published December 2011Amendments issued since publicationDate Text affected31 July 2012 See Foreword (note deleted from Annex B)BS 8904:2011 BRITISH STANDARDContentsForeword ii0 Introduction 11 Scope 62 Terms and definitions 63 Steps towards a sustainable community 6AnnexesAnnex A (in
4、formative) Sustainable Development Summits 21Annex B (informative) Further guidance on sustainability issues, implementationand outcomes 21Bibliography 23List of figuresFigure 1 Schematic diagram of recommended steps in implementing guidancefor community sustainable development 4Figure 2 Interface o
5、f market, state and family 5Figure 3 Spiders web progress chart against sustainable developmentprinciples 19List of tablesTable 1 Example principles of sustainability (also see Annex A) 7Table 2 Pointers for building confidence in the decision-making process 14Table 3 Sustainable development maturit
6、y matrix 17Summary of pagesThis document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i to ii,pages 1 to 24, an inside back cover and a back cover.BRITISH STANDARD BS 8904:2011 The British Standards Institution 2012 iForewordPublishing informationThis British Standard is published by BSI St
7、andards Limited, under licence fromThe British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 December 2011. Itwas prepared by Subcommittee SDS/1/4, Sustainable communities, under thedirection of SDS/1, Sustainable development co-ordination committee. A list ofmembers of this committee can be obt
8、ained on request to its secretary.Information about this documentThe start and finish of text introduced or altered by Corrigendum No. 1 isindicated in the text by.Presentational conventionsThe provisions in this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Itsrecommendations are expressed i
9、n sentences in which the principal auxiliaryverb is “should”.This British Standard takes the form of guidance and recommendations.Therefore, it should not be quoted as if it were a specification to whichcompliance could be claimed.Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented
10、 insmaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.Contractual and legal considerationsThis publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of acontract. Users are responsible for its correct application.Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity
11、from legalobligations.BRITISH STANDARDBS 8904:2011ii The British Standards Institution 20120 Introduction0.1 Information about this documentThere has been growing interest in the concept of “sustainable communities”.Communities are the bedrock of sustainable development. This guidance willhelp inter
12、ested parties to define what sustainable development is in theircommunities.Understanding the link with the term “sustainable development”, or itsshort-hand reference “sustainability”, is vital because the concept isunderpinned by an important set of principles, and processes. These integrateeconomi
13、c, social and environmental concerns. Sustainable development wasframed and endorsed internationally by governments through the UnitedNations (UN) at the first Sustainable Development Summit (see Annex A). Thenext UN Summit will be the Rio+20 conference in June 2012. Greening the localeconomy is one
14、 of the core themes for this sustainable development summit.Given the core role local communities play in helping to practically achievesustainable development outcomes, the interest in sustainable communities andthis British Standard is as an alternative framework for advancing sustainabilitymore w
15、idely (alongside those aimed at organizations and businesses). Thisstandard is also a result of the recognition of the economic and socialimportance of fostering and protecting robust and prosperous communities,particularly where pressures on community life and shared values appears to beincreasing.
16、Reflecting the UN sustainability principles, Table 1 (3.1.3) demonstrates howthese can be usefully interpreted and applied to be locally resonant andrelevant.This standard is in the BS 8900 series of sustainable development standards andfollows the template and approaches set out in BS 8900:2006, Gu
17、idance onmanaging sustainable development. This is the first standard of its type and BSIsdecision to develop BS 8904 is a step in offering leadership and enabling widerengagement both in the UK and internationally.Standardizing an approach is challenging given the diversity of contexts andpossible
18、applications. This standard has been developed with communities inmind that are primarily based on a “place”, but the principles can be extendedto those communities with different, more diverse forms. Different communitieshave differing needs and expectations. However, this standard attempts to give
19、a sequence of steps to improve community sustainability and for the communityto assess the support provided by relevant authorities and other parties.This standard has been drafted on the following principles.a) The users of this standard start by identifying the community it aims toserve, the possi
20、ble benefits and desirable outcomes of community basedsustainable development.b) The aim is to embed sustainable development in everyday community life,which is necessarily challenging, provoking and continually evolving.c) The process can either be driven from the grassroots or by key communitystak
21、eholders (e.g. local authorities, schools).d) Building confidence in processes and sustainable outcomes is an importantpart of the process and some communities might wish to use some form ofverification, although this standard does not point users toward anyparticular auditors or certification bodie
22、s.e) A development or maturity matrix is provided as a way of assessingprogress, clarifying next steps and combining the principles underpinningsustainability with practical implementation.BRITISH STANDARD BS 8904:2011 The British Standards Institution 2012 1There are many other helpful and relevant
23、 texts, conventions, codes and casestudies available; this standard acts as a guide to make sense of these many andvaried sources.0.2 FrameworkThe concept of sustainable development provides a framework for buildingthriving, vibrant communities that ensure economic, social and environmentalwell-bein
24、g for all, both now and in future. For the purpose of this standard weadopt the BS 8900 definition of sustainable development:an enduring, balanced approach to economic activity, environmentalresponsibility and social progress.A sustainable community is:a place where people want to live and work now
25、 and in the future.Such a community limits its impacts on the local and global environment, is fair,well governed and inclusive, and allows good opportunities for a flourishinglocal economy. The idea of a sustainable community enables us to conceive ofsustainable development in a more tangible way,
26、manifesting it in a specificplace or community of interest. Through the actions of government, businessand civil society, communities are ultimately where sustainable development willor will not be realised and as such we deliver sustainable development throughdelivering sustainable communities.Comm
27、unities in our definition can be of any size and dimension, although, thisstandard will be most usefully implemented in communities that already have adegree of cohesion and momentum to facilitate continuing participation. Indeeda successful approach to creating and fostering a sustainable community
28、depends upon the empowerment, ownership and engagement of those who areand will be affected. Consequently, this standard recommends the activeinvolvement and ongoing commitment of community members, as well asoffering advice on how this can be achieved.The long-term success of any community will als
29、o depend on its flexibility andreadiness to adapt to change, its ability to absorb “shocks” or mitigate risks andits strength of vision and guiding principles. Key to its robustness is anunderstanding of and responsiveness to the dynamics of economic,environmental and social dimensions. Therefore ba
30、lancing the need for structurewhilst enabling innovation from within the community has an important part toplay.What matters to local communities, how they agree and prioritize what needsto be done, and how they can be empowered in ways to meet their basic needs(food, shelter, and health) and to saf
31、eguard a decent and fulfilling quality oflife, is central to “sustainability”. This is about securing a long-term quality oflife, but that accepts that local solutions must help lower our individual andcollective “ecological footprint”, that is the amount of what we consume (water,land, food, etc.).
32、 It is about sharing, and issues of equity both within andbetween communities and across generationsBRITISH STANDARDBS 8904:20112 The British Standards Institution 20120.3 The need for community guidanceThe nature of society is that we as individuals and as communities areinterdependent with others,
33、 and the actions we take in our place, have animpact on other places and people. Even if the case is unproven regarding“limited resources” and a global “entitlement” to a fair share of what each ofus need to get by, sustainable development demands that we reduce wastefuland polluting ways of living.
34、 This can take place at an individual, community orcorporate level. Initiatives such as Action for Market Towns 1, Big Lunch 2and Transition Town 3 show that communities want assistance with how tocarry out development in line with sustainable development principles. Thisguide is seen as a realistic
35、 response to redefining the term “progress”, so that itre-balances financial wealth creation and the owning of more material goods,with measures of fairness and distribution, so that gross domestic product (GDP)becomes a more meaningful measure as in Stiglitz et al 4.Issues of risk and resilience, p
36、articularly related to food and fuel security, arerising in importance for communities in all parts of the world. Greater selfreliance and self sufficiency is what many sustainable communities are gearingup to, so they are able to get through times of financial and economic stress,and are able to wi
37、thstand natural and physical disasters. Whilst prosperity isusually defined by financial wealth and growth, increasingly sustainablecommunities will be concerned on overcoming vulnerability, and achieving andmaintaining stability, in order for them to thrive and flourish.What kind of quality of life
38、 communities living today pass onto futuregenerations, with suitable ways and means to take care of themselves whilstrespecting the “eco-systems services” on which we all depend, is shaped throughdecisions and actions being taken now. Technology can help but cannot providethe total solution. It is p
39、eople that “are the difference that make thedifference”.There is a clear need for a framework to guide communities in balancingincreasing and often competing challenges to living sustainably. There is also adesire among businesses and public authorities to share some commonunderstanding of what is r
40、equired to get there.Government, businesses and non-governmental organizations share commoninterests in sustainable development and in realising sustainable communities.This is the case for Government and non-governmental organizations as theysearch for more efficient and effective ways to deliver s
41、ervices and addressmarket failures, and for businesses as they increasingly understanding how theirown viability is intrinsically linked to that of suppliers and customers in aglobally interdependent physical, social and economic environment.Sustainable development is central to effective local plan
42、ning, strategic decisionmaking, risk assessment and public engagement. This also relates to spatialplanning frameworks and this is an area that is under development in the UK.This standard does not specify performance criteria or explain the specificelements of economic, environmental and social imp
43、acts, nor does it prescribe asequence in which the guidance has to be followed. The recommended steps inimplementing the guidance are illustrated in Figure 1: the standards user canstart at whichever point seems most appropriate to their community, and maywish to return to certain steps at different
44、 times.BRITISH STANDARD BS 8904:2011 The British Standards Institution 2012 3A sustainable community is one that takes charge and determines its ownagenda. This includes the wider acknowledged public health benefits. By makingthe community more socially integrated and secure, community participants
45、willfeel an increased sense of well being, be encouraged to walk, enjoy groupactivities, feel benefits of exercise and fresh air that will ultimately improvehealth. An additional benefit could be that integrated health and social carebecomes more preventive rather than curative with less financial d
46、rain on localauthority resources with future proposed responsibilities for public health andsocial care.Figure 1 Schematic diagram of recommended steps in implementing guidance for communitysustainable developmentDiagram courtesy of Perkins+Will.The interrelationship of elements in the public arena
47、is illustrated in Figure 2.BRITISH STANDARDBS 8904:20114 The British Standards Institution 2012Figure 2 Interface of market, state and familyDiagram courtesy of Perkins+Will.BRITISH STANDARD BS 8904:2011 The British Standards Institution 2012 51 ScopeThis British Standard provides a framework as rec
48、ommendations and guidancethat assist communities to improve their sustainability. The recommendationsand guidance are intended to be applied by communities of any size, structureand type. Structures, processes and themes are described to help to get peopleinvolved in what can be, at least initially,
49、 diffuse and disparate ideas. To providecoherence and make these elements easier to understand, this standard is basedaround a series of steps.The aim is to provide clear, practical guidance to support the cost-efficient andeffective organization and development of communities of all types and sizesworking to sustainable development principles.2 Terms and definitionsAll terms are explained within the text or carry their normal dictionary meaning.3 Steps towards a sustainable community3.1 Step 1 People coming together and agreeing principles3.
