2030 vision

for the Cambridge sub-region

 

 

Topics for 2011
Economics and technology
Housing 2030
Education and skills
Retail and business
Agriculture and green spaces
Topics for 2012
Land use
Social cohesion
Culture, leisure and sport
Transport
Energy, water and waste

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RSA Cambridge Group

Meeting at ideaSpace: 13 April 2011

Dr Nicky Morrison of the Cambridge University Department of Land Economy gave an introductory talk in which she reminded us that it is the government's ambition to decrease carbon emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050, and that domestic housing represents around 27% of total carbon dioxide emissions. She then invited us to break into three groups to decide what are the top 3 constraints to achieving carbon reduction to existing housing, and to rank them in order of importance.

After discussion, the groups replied that their top constraints were:

  • Group 1: lack of consistency of advice on what measures to take
  • Group 2: cost
  • Group 3: lack of good trustworthy advice.

    Other constraints:

  • doubt about financial benefits and realism of incentives
  • suspicion about quality of retrofitters' work
  • contradictory constraints from planners, English Heritage etc
  • difficulty in generating a community sense of responsibility
  • apathy.
  •