New ‘3ºC Neighbourhood’ report from Civic Square & Dark Matter Labs: Our reflections
What does a 3°C warmer planet mean for your neighbourhood?
A hugely powerful new piece of research by CIVIC SQUARE and Dark Matter Labs calls for a shift in focus from merely *adapting and shielding* our neighbourhoods in a warming world… and instead towards our neighbourhoods becoming joyful, bold and creative *drivers* of deep and rapid emissions cuts.
Imagine real transformation unfolding right where you live.
As you stroll through your neighbourhood, you see rooftops bustling with solar panels and streets lined with lush green corridors, where every available space is used to harness renewable energy and provide shade.
Local gardens thrive around you, cultivated by neighbours who share both the yield and the joy of growing food together.
Buildings old and new are retrofitted to not only withstand the changing climate but also to enhance living standards, utilising repurposed or locally-sourced materials.
Every corner you turn, there's a sense of shared purpose and innovation.
How do we get there?
Like so many place-based solutions to crises being felt across the UK, it’s land ownership and dynamics of power and wealth that lie at the heart:
1. Community ownership and governance of local resources. Local people designing, owning and governing climate transitions, shifting power on key areas of decision-making like how to retrofit homes.
2. Neighbourhood ‘infrastructure’ (beyond the physical) that democratises access to essential resources and services, such as energy, green spaces, and emergency response mechanisms. Community energy schemes instead of renewable energy being a luxury. Reintroducing communal and social space, sharing and play into our existing homes, streets and civic places.
3. Investment into neighbourhood-scale projects that can redistribute wealth from broader financial markets into local communities. That’s investment into learning and upskilling plus basic infrastructures like community energy grids, repair hubs and food forests.
