Housing: creative solutions

  Progress has been a simple equation: economic growth measured by GDP. The endless upward climb promised solutions to everything from poverty to pollution. But the reality hasn't lived up to the promise. It's time to redefine progress before the changing climate becomes irreversible. The Allure of Growth Growth is appealing. We see it in thriving gardens and children reaching their full potential. No wonder we embraced it as the economic ideal, adopting the "more is better" mantra. Yet, nature teaches us that endless growth is unsustainable. Everything eventually reaches maturity, focusing on health and well-being rather than constant expansion. As Janine Benyus, a pioneer in biomimicry , reminds us, trees prioritise distributing resources to their entire being, stopping growth once that function is compromised. The Growth Addiction Cheap fossil fuels in the 20th century fueled rapid growth, which became ingrained in our economic systems. This has led to policies – ...

  We are preparing our new corporate plan. With the end of the next Parliament likely to be in 2020, what is going to be different? What will have changed irrevocably; fundamental shifts that will transform how we view our world. With the Chancellor announcing that another £25bn of cuts is needed in the first two years after the election, there are four key trends that are evident.  Public services are being dismembered. Assets are being transferred into the private sector rapidly and that is likely to be accelerated after the next election. At the end of 2013, 3,670 schools had become Academy schools. There are no national figures available, but the Local Authority accounts in the county where we work show that school buildings to the value of £40m have been transferred so far. In 2014, 56% of English secondary schools were academies. Primary schools, 11% and growing. In January 2014, it was estimated that 70% of contracts being awarded by the NHS were going to private compan...