Research
Sustainability Tool Selector: A Guide for Local Government
A key component of the Urban Sustainability Support Alliance project is to develop tools and resources based on sound research and need. The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF), University of Technology, Sydney was engaged as part of the project to conduct research into the barriers and drivers to sustainability in councils and to develop a tool to respond to identified needs.
The resulting 'Sustainability Tool Selector: A Guide for Local Government'showcases ten tools that can help council staff with evaluation, decision making, developing performance indicators and tracking progress towards sustainability at an organisational and project level.
The USSA also hosted a series of one day regional workshops and a Sydney Showcase on how to select and apply tools for sustainability during March and April 2010. Click here for case study presentations made at these workshops.
Barriers and Drivers to Sustainability in Local Government
Download the report Pillora S, Blackburn N, Artist S, 2009, Barriers & Drivers to Sustainability in Local Government to identify:
- the main drivers and barriers in relation to achieving sustainability in Local Government;
- the tools and approaches being used to measure progress towards sustainability; and
- a summary of evaluation frameworks and tools used in Australia and overseas.
The USSA has also developed a Sustainability Learning Guide: Barriers and Drivers to Sustainability to add value to the research. This handy guide provides practical examples of strategies councils have used to overcome barriers and make the most of key drivers to sustainability.
Local Government Sustainability Professional Development Needs
The professional development needs of Local Government in relation to sustainability were reviewed by the LGSA on behalf of the USSA in December 2009. The resulting evaluation report is available from the USSA resource database and is based upon 120 survey responses received from Local Government employees from a range of disciplines representing the views of 85 NSW councils.