There Really Is Such A Thing As Society
JEZ SWEETLAND, PROJECT DIRECTOR, BRISTOL HOUSING FESTIVAL
An Opportunity to Reimagine
Boris Johnson recently commented “there really is such a thing as society” in a message released whilst he was self-isolating. The prime minister chose to contradict his Conservative predecessor Margaret Thatcher’s support for individualism made in 1987, saying: “There is no such thing as society.”
Many commentators and political leaders are now considering exit strategies from the current lockdown and there is a clamber to get the ‘show back on the road’. However, we need to learn from the failed stress test that our current societal system is undergoing. We must ensure we don’t just press the ‘reset’ button without reflecting on the opportunity we have to reimagine and collectively rebuild our society.
It can be argued that Covid-19 has exposed the lack of resilience, wisdom and compassion in many of our societal and economic systems. It has also exposed the urgent narrative that climate protestors have known for years, that our interdependence on each other, locally and globally, is more central to our lives that many of us have been willing to acknowledge.
Putting aside for a moment my own political critique, alongside the isolation, hardship, loss and grief that many people are facing right now; there are opportunities. One thing we know of human courage is that there is a desire to learn, to improve, and to envision how we can, and will, flourish.
This is an opportunity to practise local community ourselves and to ‘count our blessings’, there is so much to be thankful for. The incredible NHS, acts of random kindness and compassion, sacrificial service, political leaders who have ripped up the traditional rules on fiscal and monetary policy with the best intentions, seeking to offer support to those most affected and, for us all, a greater appreciation of the usual freedoms we enjoy.
We can apply this reimagining to all areas that make up our interdependent lives. Amsterdam has reached out to Kate Raworth, (author of Doughnut Economics ‘A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow’) to help inform the redesign of its economy. A revealing interview in The Guardian with Kate Raworth and Amsterdam’s deputy mayor Marieke van Doorninck made clear their intention to look at how to help their society thrive.
“The central premise is simple: the goal of economic activity should be about meeting the core needs of all but within the means of the planet. The “doughnut” is a device to show what this means in practice. The world is experiencing a series of shocks and surprise impacts which are enabling us to shift away from the idea of growth to ‘thriving’, Raworth says. “Thriving means our wellbeing lies in balance. We know it so well in the level of our body. This is the moment we are going to connect bodily health to planetary health.”
That quote chimes beautifully with US Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy’s reflection from 1968 of the problem with GDP as a measure of our growth and success:
“Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”
It would appear that we still need fully to apprehend this wisdom.
Rebuilding
The Bristol Housing Festival is particularly interested to think about housing and community and how we might respond to the urgent and increasing need in a post pandemic environment.
There are three areas that we think could be relevant and help build a more compassionate society that helps everyone flourish:
1. Commitment to meeting the needs of the homeless
Vast effort and money is being invested to ensure the provision of sanctuary for the homeless to get them off the streets. The effort and resources to achieve that goal are commendable. But what does that mean for us in the aftermath? The legacy of that urgency and commitment cannot simply be that we ‘found a way’ to home the homeless temporarily when we needed them to distance themselves, for the sake of the wider community.
Once the crisis is over the price of 726 deaths a year on our streets in the UK is also a genuine crisis. Many homeless charities are seeing the current crisis, if handled correctly, as an opportunity to support many homeless individuals into more connected and stable lives. Howard Sinclair of St Mungo’s stated: “Once it is over, it would be a tragedy to say ‘off you go’. But for now, the focus remains on ensuring the streets of London—and Britain—become just a little bit more deserted.”
As a society, our compassion, urgency and ability to build more resilience into our foundations will be a key measure of our willingness and ability to learn from the crisis. How we respond to homelessness will be a headline in that outcome.
2. Social housing and the future of the NHS
Within the Government’s important commitment to increase the supply of new homes in the UK, the market interventions must focus on more affordable homes, but also address the huge and growing shortage of social housing. To ensure the quality of that housing requires careful consideration; the investment in the increased house building supply chain must build around key values of quality and sustainability, for which modern methods of construction (at least in principle) look ready and willing to offer positive disruption and much needed innovation.
In this time of need many are reflecting on the incredible value of the NHS to all of us. As we consider the future, could it be that building better homes underpins the viability of the NHS? More vulnerable members of society (such as the young, the elderly, and those with long-term health conditions) might spend up to 100% of their time indoors according to the BMJ. Evidence from the World Health Organisation suggests that poorly designed homes can exacerbate chronic conditions and increase the risk of injury. Affordable and quality housing for all, therefore, is critical for reducing inequalities in health and improving population wellbeing.
Building more social housing is not a grant or a handout. It’s an investment in an asset to be retained and stewarded. It works economically, but more importantly, it works humanly and will improve the mental and physical health of the population. The commitment to scale up house building each year must also be about building the homes the UK needs and that will need to include a significant response to the social housing need.
3. Housing and the climate
Referencing back to Kate Raworth, it’s critical that we build wisely and consider the real value of what we are building for the longer term and not just the immediate cost. There is an opportunity to consider the impact of the Social Value Act (2012). We are pleased to have worked on a report with Arcadis, Bristol City Council and Futureground (funded by the Local Government Association) to explore this theme around Modern Methods of Construction in Housing.
“To enable innovation in housebuilding, robust and practical procurement solutions that are effective in delivering triple-bottom-line value (social, environmental and economic benefits) need to be developed and embedded in procurement practice.”
We are also pleased to be working with the Centre for Thriving Places, as we consider how best to measure, not just the success of the physicality of the buildings, their sustainability and suitability for purpose, but also how to measure the success of the built environment, how they support people's sense of place, and their mental and physical wellbeing.
Rethink and Redesign
Covid-19 is a game-changer for us all right now – we are not all suffering equally but we do all face a common threat. The challenge will be how that threat changes us as we emerge, and the decisions we take to determine the society we want to build together. We need the willingness and courage to rethink and redesign – to move away from the GDP growth mindset as the dictator of success and to think more holistically about what and how we build. To realise the hope that everyone has the opportunity to flourish. After all, the symbol of hope amid Covid-19 has become the rainbow; a symbol of hope for all of humanity.
