Organisations and Citizens Building Back Better? Climate Resilience, Social Justice & COVID-19 Recovery in Preston, UK

Ioan M. Charnley-Parry (), Alan Farrier, Mark Dooris, John Whitton and Julian Manley
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Ioan M. Charnley-Parry: School of Health, Social Work and Sport, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
Alan Farrier: School of Health, Social Work and Sport, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
Mark Dooris: School of Health, Social Work and Sport, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
John Whitton: School of Health, Social Work and Sport, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
Julian Manley: School of Health, Social Work and Sport, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: The impacts of COVID-19 on cities across the United Kingdom were significant and diverse, whilst ongoing climate-related, sustainability and social challenges were highlighted and sometimes amplified. Lessons from organisational and citizen experiences and their responses have the potential to improve local sustainability and resilience to global events; hence, they must be examined. We report findings from a project conducted in Preston (UK) exploring how COVID-19 recovery might accelerate organisation-led and citizen-led action for the wellbeing of people, places and the planet. The project used a settings approach to public health and combined qualitative research with conceptual development; the former involved online interviews and group dialogues with members of several local anchor institutions, whilst the latter examined synergy between community wealth building, Doughnut Economics and place-based climate action. We explore two themes—anchor institutions’ strategic priorities and plans; ‘building back better’, and its future sustainability implications. These revealed four cross-cutting aspects: wellbeing, tackling societal inequalities, collaborative working, and COVID-19 as a catalyst for transformative change. Informed by ‘Doughnut-Shaped Community Wealth Building’, organisations are encouraged to embed commitment to equitable and inclusive climate action; consolidate the co-operative approach developed during the pandemic at strategic, operational and grassroots levels; take a nuanced approach to future work policies and practices; work across anchor institutions to advocate collectively for supportive national-level policy to build a sustainable, wellbeing economy.

Keywords: organisations; citizens; climate; community; sustainability; resilience; justice; COVID-19; UK (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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