There is a lack of maps and directions. We looked at the types of waste you can see, how this can instigate feelings of fear. When you see empty bottles of alcohol or cans, you may start worrying if there are going to be drunk people around, if you are going to get into trouble. There were feelings of people not really knowing where they are. On the bus, you’re not sure where to get off; if you are walking, signage was a big issue. When we spoke to people, we found concerns over safety on public transport – with data showing male passengers took 17% more trips than female passengers – as well as over hygiene facilities for those using both public and active transport. Then there are issues of inclusivity and accessibility for people with a variety of disabilities and panabilities, visible or invisible – these concerns are rarely acknowledged in the planning stage. POSITIVE ASPECTS What is there now is not all bad. It is not that the Eden Morecambe is all shiny and futuristic and the only way. You must ensure you do not eradicate the existing community. You must consider how they will perceive what is happening. Our initial transport angle grew. The journey is part of the overall experience. If the journey is not a positive experience, ultimately you may not even go to the destination, enjoy it, or recommend it. It was eye-opening to see it all from different demographical and cultural backgrounds, imagining what it would be like for families and for international visitors, people with pets, younger adults – all likely to want to visit Eden. This human-centred point-of-view was powerful for the policymakers, who will show the project approach and outputs in the City Council’s common room in 2024 in a form of an immersive visual exhibition. What was appreciated by the stakeholders is that they benefited from such diverse perspectives. They enjoyed having the local entrepreneurs, people from the Council, people from local community groups, artists, students, Lancaster University, all involved. Our open innovation paradigm gives voice to a diverse community of people who continue supporting our project through litter picking events and community engagement forums. A BETTER FUTURE The policymakers are now appreciative of looking at the world differently, and our research shone a light on reimagining the future of policymaking. With plans such as Lancashire 2050, you want these policies and developments to be sustainable, future-proof. In collaboration with a wide range of local stakeholders, we applied a future scenario method to imagine Lancaster in 2050, focusing on both the future of transport and of quality of life. We outlined four potential futures: the ideal scenario of Lanctopia (with a high quality of life and transport that is accessible, inclusive and efficient); Slowcaster (with high quality of life but poor transport); Nodecaster (with good transport but low quality of life); and Lancastrophe (with poor quality of life and transport). Lanctopia took inspiration from the Nordic States, with a communitycentred governance and place-based policies. Here, technology enables digital integration of transport that is emission-free, safe, inclusive and accessible in remote rural communities. Private car ownership is socially unacceptable and unnecessary, with active transport enabled through thoughtful infrastructure. At the other end of the spectrum, Lancastrophe combines the negatives of insufficient transport and infrastructure with poor life quality. There is an increasing divide between the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor, transport is unaffordable due to a scarcity of fuel, there is increased flooding in the region, high levels of crime, and little to look forward to. Neither of these scenarios will play out in its entirety, but they show how policy making might be used to shape a better future, and the importance of considering the point-of-view of citizen, who understand the unique challenges they face. Our work on I-Connect shows how this might be done through planning for the Eden Morecambe project when academic multidisciplinary research connects with a local, place-based innovation driver such as Groundswell Innovation. It is not just about the site itself, but about the journey there, and about how we consider the bigger picture of the area as a whole. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 17 Radka Newton is a Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, a Personal Chair in Management Education and Innovation, and Founder Director of the Centre for Scholarship and Innovation in Management Education (SIME). Professor Newton is the Principal Investigator on the I-Connect: Codesigning Sustainable Communities project working in collaboration with Dr Jekaterina Rindt and Dr Mirian Calvo. Project research partners are Groundswell Innovation, Lancashire County Council Innovation Board, Lancaster City Council, and Connected Places Catapult. The project impact has been supported by the Government Open Innovation Team. r.newton@lancaster.ac.uk Hear more about the I-Connect project on the Transforming Tomorrow podcast from the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business: https://pod.co/transforming-tomorrow/ sustainability-policy-at-a-local-level
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