Promoting Community Sustainability

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Promoting Community SustainabilityLinking
Research and Action

• Presented by Alison Collins
• Project Manager,
• York Centre for Applied Sustainability,
• York University

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a Community University Research Alliance(CURA)

• Supported by
• Social Sciences and Humanities
• Research Council of Canada

Promoting Community Sustainability Linking
Research and Action www.sustainabletoronto
.ca
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Project 9 A Toolkit for
Governance

• Background
• past 2 decades - increased in corporation of
  sustainability principles into policy instruments
  and decision-making frameworks of public and
  private sector institutions
• SD as a concept figures prominently in many
  political vision statements and corporate mission
  statements
• Need to move from pronouncement to
  practice
• HOW?
• increase sustainability literacy and
  understanding
• engage decision-makers and the broadest public in
  a dialogue
• identify tools so as to provide a toolkit for
  sustainability

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca
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Mission Statement

• The focus of the Toolkit for Governance is to
  identify and report on alternative governance
  structures and/or mechanisms that incorporate
  sustainability principles so as to develop a
  toolkit to inform decision-makers within the
  municipal government of the City of Toronto

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca
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Project Goal

• The ultimate goal of the toolkit for
  governance is to undertake on-going research and
  foster dialogue among key stakeholders through
  regular workshops ad conferences so as to act as
  a reference group and a catalyst for the
  development of a Framework Agreement

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca
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Research Objectives

• Identify and research the role of key
  stakeholders
• attend, partner or host conferences/workshops
  concerning alternative governance tools
• local, national and international focus
• Research sustainability and alternative
  governance mechanisms in other jurisdictions
• identify barriers and safety nets
• Identify current framework for decision-making
  within the city of Toronto and the potential role
  for/of SD
• research, write and present work on governing
  structures and/or mechanisms at the city of
  Toronto
• what does sustainability mean to the City of
  Toronto from a governance perspective
• Create a Toolkit for Governance
• compilation and analysis of past, current and
  future sustainability governance tools
• act as a reference to inform policy and
  decision-makers within municipal government and
  beyond

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca
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Project Deliverables

• 1. A compendium of
• key sustainability stakeholders
• conference proceedings
• conferences/workshops
• 2. A report on the role of sustainability in the
  governance structures and mechanisms - City of
  Toronto
• 3. A comprehensive report on best practices of
  alternative governance mechanisms incorporating
  sustainability
• 4. A Toolkit for governance - a broad yet
  comprehensive reference document for key
  stakeholders and decision-makers

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca
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Expected Outcomes

• Facilitate and foster discourse on and the
  development of alternative governance structures
  and/or frameworks employing a sustainability lens
• produce a body of research and publications on
  sustainability governance (including best
  practices, barriers, safety nets)
• produce a body of work on the current reality re
  governance, sustainability and the City of
  Toronto
• Develop a set of tools by which governments and
  decision-making bodies can affect better, more
  sustainable governance

a Community-University Research Alliance
Promoting Community
Sustainability Linking Research and Action
www.sustainabletoronto.ca