Banks, S.; (2004) An investigation into the importance and relevance of socially sustainable local centers from the perspective of young people. Masters thesis , University of London.

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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to determine the importance of local service and facility provision from the perspective of a specific group of the population namely the young and to up-date Farthing and Winters (1997 p.170) list of everyday facilities from the perspective of this group. Additional factors were also investigated, including influence of location, gender, age and socio-economic status. Primary research was carried out through focus group discussions with groups of young people in three case study areas. Secondary research established the current government guidance and strategies in place at the national and local level in order to promote socially sustainable local communities. This is an important and fertile area of study due to recent government initiatives concerning the promotion of sustainable development in order to promote inclusive and cohesive communities and generate increased local social capital. This research aims to address an identified gap in the knowledge of real and stated preferences of requirements at the local level as highlighted by previous academics. It was established that young people do not generally have a pre-conceived perception of their local spatial area and do not generally consider themselves to be part of a "wider community". They do however expect a certain degree of service and facility provision available to them in their locality, or alternatively have adequate public transport provision in place so that they can access amenities within the wider geographical area. The study concludes that a generic nature of promotion of service and facility provision as outlined in current government advice is not appropriate or applicable to young people. It is considered the proposed reforms to the planning system should emphasise the importance of effective consultation with all groups of the population in terms of their actual service and facility requirements at the local level.

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