Reimagining Community Prosperity and Active Transportation: A Concrete Strategy for Flourishing Populations
In a significant move towards sustainable economic development, the Scottish Government has started adopting Community Wealth Building (CWB), with a proposed bill aiming to embed this approach across communities in Scotland. This shift in strategy is set to bring about a transformation, particularly in the realm of active travel.
Recent research has highlighted that planning and investment often overlook infrastructure for walking, wheeling, and cycling. However, the benefits of integrating active travel into CWB strategies are undeniable. North Ayrshire, a region where CWB is a key part of the council's economic strategy, was a case study focused on due to its potential to reap these benefits.
The Research and Monitoring Unit investigated how active travel could contribute to CWB, and the findings are compelling. Active travel, such as walking and cycling, not only encourages people to shop locally and keep wealth circulating in the community but also strengthens communities in a way similar to how CWB does.
Active travel offers multiple significant benefits for local economies. Urban areas with higher shares of active travel modes tend to see increased productivity. This is due to improved accessibility and reduced dependence on cars, leading to lower parking costs and attracting more residents, customers, and workers—including non-drivers—expanding the labor pool by 10-30%.
Improvement in walkability and proximity to transit can raise residential and commercial property values by 5-40%. Complete streets and bike lanes increase business sales and profits, local employment, and private investments. This circulation of wealth locally is consistent with agglomeration economies that benefit urbanized, multimodal regions.
Compact, multimodal communities with active travel reduce vehicle miles traveled, decrease urban sprawl, and cut energy consumption and pollution by up to 60%. These efficiencies generate savings that benefit everyone, contributing to sustainable economic growth.
Encouraging active travel increases physical activity by 20-50%, improving health outcomes and longevity. It also reduces traffic casualties by 20-80% and lowers social issues such as poverty, crime, and mental illness through enhanced community cohesion and integration.
In aligning with CWB principles, active travel investments strengthen local infrastructure, foster resilient and accessible places that support worker-centered economic activities, and create shared prosperity through healthier, more connected communities. They also create employment opportunities and stimulate the local economy, further reinforcing the economic foundation of communities.
Community Input is crucial in designing travel networks that truly serve local needs. In CWB, councils, schools, and hospitals buy goods and services from local businesses, which helps keep wealth within the community. This approach is further supported by initiatives like the Repurposing Property Grant Fund Initiative, enabling small areas of land or property to be repurposed for local community benefit.
Anchor institutions like councils and schools can lead by example, adopting sustainable transport and procurement practices. By doing so, they can help create thriving local high streets and bustling town centers through better walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure.
In conclusion, integrating active travel into CWB strategies enhances local economic productivity, property values, resource sustainability, public health, and social cohesion, all of which contribute to building resilient, prosperous local economies that benefit residents and stakeholders alike.
- The undeniable benefits of integrating active travel into Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategies extend beyond health and wellness, reaching domains like science, as research indicates that promoting walking, cycling, and wheeling can improve environmental science by reducing climate change and energy consumption.
- In the realm of finance and business, urban areas that prioritize active travel observe increased productivity, owing to better accessibility, increased local employment, and expanded labor pools, consequently contributing to sustainable economic development.
- The intersection of education-and-self-development and active travel is apparent when considering the impacts on lifestyle choices. The promotion of active travel can lead to a healthier population, as increased physical activity results in improved health outcomes and longevity.
- In the home-and-garden sector, the emphasis on active travel contributes to creating cleaner, greener communities, as compact, multimodal cities experience lower energy consumption and pollution levels, reducing the environmental footprint.
- The technology industry also benefits from active travel, as improved infrastructure for walking, cycling, and wheeling encourages the creation and adoption of innovative, sustainable transport solutions, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of life in communities where CWB principles are applied.
