Identifying the criteria for community-centred Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of estate regeneration schemes

Abstract

Identifying the overall environmental, and socioeconomic impacts of different estate regeneration scenarios can contribute to the overall sustainability of such schemes. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is an appropriate tool for assessing holistic sustainability. To achieve resilient societies, the interests of communities should be considered in decision making. This paper proposes a method for incorporating community needs in identifying sustainability metrics for the sustainability assessment of estate regeneration schemes. A literature review in the field of sustainability assessment of buildings is conducted followed by a mixed methods empirical research. Collection of data has been through surveys, an interview, and an evaluation questionnaire. Data has been analysed through statistical and thematic analysis and triangulation of the results. The findings have consistently yielded the limitations of the scope of the current sustainability assessment methodologies, especially for lack of attention to societal impacts of regeneration. The results have justified the need for this research to employ participatory approaches for identifying a relevant set of sustainability indicators and criteria for assessing the lifetime impacts of estate regeneration schemes. Issues related to community involvement in decision making, maintenance and management, community facilities, refurbishment, and disruption have been identified as the stakeholders’ top priorities. Mental Health and Socioeconomic Values have been introduced as new criteria. The findings confirm the need for an in-depth approach towards identifying the regeneration priorities of the communities for the scope of LCSA studies. The identified list of criteria can apply to other studies of this context for an equitable approach for selecting the indicators across different criteria and for communicating the LCSA results with different stakeholders.