THE GREENPRINT FRAMEWORK: Supporting collaboration across the region
A joint initiative is boosting collaboration between key decision-makers in the Central South region to develop a ‘greenprint’, or shared vision for achieving a sustainable future. Supported by the Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH) and including the Universities of Southampton and Portsmouth, the New Forest National Park Authority, 12 local authorities and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, Greenprint is helping to define the region’s priorities, maintain momentum, and measure progress.
Image - Jaqueline Nightingale
A workshop was held in February to map current sustainability projects and ideas from local authorities in the central South, within the Greenprint framework. These ideas were subsequently taken into a report which was presented in their second policy workshop in June. The aim of this workshop was to find the synergies between authorities, and new opportunities for projects. This enabled the workshop attendees to learn from other authorities, form a stronger network, and develop collaborative goals across and within sectors whilst preventing duplicated efforts. The results of this workshop will also be reported to PfSH executives to promote the Greenprint initiative.
Supporting this workshop were members of the University of Southampton, from the Centre for the South, Public Policy|Southampton, and the Civic University agreement. As part of the University’s pledge to be a civic partner to the region, these organisations support policy research and facilitate workshop events to foster collaborative knowledge exchange.
Greenprint’s five agreed priorities for a green recovery are:
Net zero with nature – providing the leadership necessary to reduce carbon emissions, taking a more integrated and holistic approach by working with nature to build a zero-carbon economy and zero carbon communities.
Natural health service – improving physical and mental health and wellbeing and tackling health inequalities through greater access to our world class natural environments and bringing nature into our urban communities.
World class blue/green environments – protecting, restoring and improving our distinctive, high-quality blue and green environments, enabling the natural capital and ecosystem services they offer us to contribute fully to a strong economy and a healthy, inclusive society.
Creating great places through quality in design and build – encouraging an innovative approach to creating high quality, inclusive and sustainable places for people and nature, adopting a low-carbon, sustainable approach which will make the region an exemplar.
Centre for excellence in green skills and jobs – tackle local skills gaps and economic inequalities by building a future workforce which can seize the opportunities offered by innovation in key sectors of our economy, including zero carbon economy, land management and the visitor economy.
Within these 5 priorities, different participating authorities reported their work, from smaller projects to “big ticket” long-term ambitions.
This chart shows the proportions of the total reported activities, within each Greenprint framework category. Image – Jaqueline Nightingale
Key findings from the light-touch assessment and subsequent discussion were:
That the same ideas were sometimes expressed using different terminology, suggesting an opportunity for more synchronised language to discern efforts across authorities.
That some efforts were directed “in-house”, for example councils using electric fleets of vehicles, and other efforts concerned the constituents of the region as a whole.
That improving air quality was regarded as a central issue during discussion, and whilst difficult to form clear actions on when reporting activities, this issue cuts across multiple objectives and activities.
That the region could be regarded at a place to foster and develop green jobs, where unique assets such as our blue spaces, national park, and maritime and industrial features could be identified and promoted by cross-council efforts.
After a reflective group discussion on the findings of the light touch assessment, each of the 5 priorities were written on flipcharts. Attendees were encouraged to write projects that they were either confident in or required guidance on, to share within the group. The projects will be sorted according to “big ticket” ambitions and “quick wins”, where activities are already prioritised and easily accomplished with collaboration across the region. These charts were then taken in for consolidation and will be shared with the Greenprint Strategy Group and participants for next steps.
The workshop promoted free-flowing expression of ideas, and it was suggested that continued group contact would be useful for collaborative learning and building on the region’s assets.
The ideas shared in this workshop and consolidated into a report will create a useful resource for local authorities wishing to learn from each other and create a more unified strategy for fostering sustainable initiatives in Hampshire. Documenting this collaboration is also a way to promote the practice of collaborative knowledge exchange across authorities, and emphasise the importance of joint initiatives such as the Greenprint.
To learn more about the Greenprint framework, watch the video below.
For Centre for the South projects related to access to nature or net zero infrastructure, click here.
