If you would like to establish a sustainable cities website for your city, please read the Code of Practice below. For more information contact Ferne Edwards, fedwards (at)unimelb.edu.au.
Code of Practice
BACKGROUND
The University, through its Australian Centre for Science Innovation and Society (ACSIS) has established the Victorian Eco-innovation Laboratory (VEIL project). The VEIL project is funded by the State Government of Victoria.
As part of its contribution to the VEIL project, the University, in partnership with international collaborators has developed a website “www.SustainableCitiesNet.com” (Global Website). The Global Website is a global portal linking the international movement of sustainable cities to inspire and support local action within cities across the globe.
Funding for the VEIL project also included the foundation of “www.SustainableMelbourne.com” (Melbourne Website) as a website to communicate activities, within the city of greater Melbourne, that are inspired by a desire to make the city more environmentally and socially sustainable. The Melbourne Website also aims to enhance collaboration and networking to link individual activities to create system-wide changes within the city.
The VEIL project has also developed the concept of “Sustainable’X’.com”, a generic website template based on the Melbourne Website, through which other cities will be able to easily mount local Sustainable Cities sites dedicated to communication and networking of activities within their cities to enhance system-wide change towards sustainability. The Sustainable’X’.com templates will allow local users to author their website to create a local web presence suited to their conditions. These sites will be represented on, and have access to content derived from, the Global Website. VEIL has arranged for a large set of domain names for global cities linked to the Sustainable’X’.com templates, so ‘X’ is replaced by the city name.
Licensees of the website template will be required to conform to this Code of Practice.
PURPOSE
The purpose of Sustainable ‘x’ .com is to showcase local environmental initiatives, to network people working on urban sustainability issues, to further debate and action about current sustainability issues among government, industry, education and civil society, to enhance collaboration between local initiatives to influence system-wide change, and to connect local initiatives with other cities around the world to form an international sustainable city movement.
Sustainable ‘x’ .com websites are not intended to duplicate existing communication of local initiatives. Sustainable ‘x’ .com consults with people involved in urban sustainability areas to showcase and celebrate their achievements in the context of other related initiatives. This forms a public database of complementary initiatives from which actors and readers and can identify new connections and new ideas. The aim to increase the level of sustainability within cities. By documenting local environmental initiatives and issues, Sustainable ‘x’ .com illustrates the richness of local resources, innovations and skills, while also revealing important research or service ‘gaps’. The site then offers a virtual platform to network key people and resources to establish new local sustainability initiatives which could potentially fill those ‘gaps’.
Sustainable ‘x’ .com grounds global environmental concerns within a particular city. Each such city-based site is linked globally by the Global Website. This site links a broad movement of sustainable cities to exchange ideas, inspire and support local action within cities. Thus SustainableCitiesNet.com acts as a mechanism for a truly global network for sustainable cities.
Ideally (logical resources permitting), Sustainable ‘x’ .com extends from the virtual platform to a physical one, with Licensees of Sustainable ‘x’ .com holding events and workshops to celebrate, inspire, promote, educate and further networking between sustainability practitioners. This physical network may remain within the local community or may extend to working with other sustainable cities. (The Melbourne Website initiative achieves this through hosting a regular Sustainable Cities Round Table as an invited event for between 50-100 people.)
CONTENT
The term ‘sustainable’ in Sustainable ‘x’ .com refers to both environmental and social sustainability. This notion of ‘sustainability’ incorporates other related concepts such as ‘liveable’, ‘walkable’, ‘healthy’ or ‘knowledgeable’ cities. As the term ‘sustainability’ is very broad, topics on Sustainable ‘x’ .com are limited to environmental and social aspects of urban sustainability issues and initiatives based within that specific city.
Sustainable ‘x’ .com covers a wide variety of issues that relate to local, urban sustainability in a balanced way. Sustainable ‘x’ .com is not a mouthpiece for a particular organization, ideology or political party, nor is it established for commercial gain. Sustainable ‘x’ .com recognises that varied perspectives, research, knowledge and experience need to be recognised and heard in order to achieve sustainable outcomes. Hence, an organisation or institution should not use Sustainable ‘x’ .com to represent only their work or opinions. Furthermore, other people and organizations, including local government agencies, should feel welcome to contribute content and direction to the project.
Sustainable ‘x’ .com serves to cut through assumptions and ‘greenwash’ that block the uptake of sustainable initiatives. It asks, ‘Where is the proof?’ By identifying local experts who understand the complexity of sustainability issues and their relationship to the bigger picture, experts as guest contributors can explain concepts and re-focus debate.
“Posts’ (database entries for the site) can either document local initiatives or refer to, or reflect on, current issues affecting local sustainability. These can resemble ‘mini-essays’, identifying and discussing both sides of an argument relating to new information or to local issues and linking to other relevant sites where appropriate to prompt further discussion via a ‘comments’ facility at the end of every post.
The University, as licensor of the website, reserves the right to require the licensee to promptly remove any inappropriate content. Inappropriate content includes any content that may be considered offensive and/or defamatory, or that the University considers could negatively impact the Sustainable Cities initiative. Content that is explicitly commercial in nature should not be included at the site. The license agreement allows for the University to temporarily or permanently close down a site that has not promptly remedied any inappropriate content.
TIME COMMITMENT
The time required to manage Sustainable ‘x’ .com varies according to the size of the city, the amount of current action, previous knowledge base of the local area, your ability to research and write about local sustainability initiatives and issues, and the degree of networking and events you chose to hold.
The Sustainable ‘x’ .com template, the linking from the relevant domain name and the server on which the sites reside, will be maintained by the University and VEIL. Posting and maintaining the content of the site is relatively simple, needing only short training and no detailed computer software skills.
To maintain readership and relevancy, it is important to post new content on the site regularly – at least every second working day. The Licensee, the Sustainable ‘x’ .com moderator(s) and other guest authors may contribute content to the site. Local experts in urban sustainability issues make excellent contributors to the site. However, the Licensee must ensure that material contributed to the site confirms with the requirements outlined in this document.
In addition, time will be needed to promote the website and to encourage responses to material placed on-site. To do this, you may wish to establish clusters of local people who are involved in the areas of water, food, energy, transport, waste and urban design/ built form.
You should also establish a image library for the site. Images are a valuable resource as one picture can often tell a whole story, while showcasing local art also supports and draws more connections within the local community. However, before publishing any images (or indeed any excerpts from other work), permission must be received. The initial training allowed for as part of the license will include some information about the laws of copyright as they apply in Australia. This is for general licensee awareness only; licensees must ensure they are well acquainted with local laws relating to copyright and publishing of content derived from other people or sources.
Taking into consideration these responsibilities and diverse situations, an average time commitment to manage Sustainable ‘x’ .com is 2 days per week.
MANAGING THE PROJECT
5. 1 APPOINTING A MODERATOR
The Licensee will need to appoint a person to act as moderator to manage the Sustainable ‘x’ .com project. This can either be a person employed by the Licensee or a subcontractor. The moderator position would suit a person (or persons) who has (have) experience in local, urban sustainability issues, ideally from a government or academic institution. They need to be able to commit the necessary time, understand local and global sustainability issues and have the ability to network with people from government, industry, education and civil society while also working to extend those networks.
The Licensee will have to assess if any person employed by it or another person is able to fulfil the requirements (above) for the position. Consider aspects such as their skills and knowledge base, their environmental contacts and their time availability.
This person will not need to have exceptional internet skills as the Sustainable Cities blog package is very straightforward to use and there will be training provided once the Licence Agreement has been signed. They will, however, require frequent access to internet services.
5.2 FUNDING
The project and position of the moderator is not funded by VEIL or by the University. The Licensee will need to investigate possible funding options. The position of moderator could either be voluntary or receive funding from other bodies who wish to support the project. In terms of external funding options, identify and research key institutions in your city that are supportive of this type of project. Write a proposal and approach them. The Licensee can use the other Sustainable ‘x’.com sites as an example of what could be achieved in its city. Mention SustainableCitiesNet.com as a portal that links multiple sustainable cities’ sites to form a network that spans the globe. Investigate how other Sustainable ‘x’.com sites were funded for ideas. .
Any commercial sponsorship arrangements proposed in respect of a site would have to meet the requirements for content independence .
5.3 GROWING THE SUPPORT BASE
The next important step is to grow the Licensee’s sustainability network in its area. Approach people who are involved in all aspects of urban sustainability – water, energy, transport, urban design and built form, food and community. Tell them about the project and welcome them to become involved. This group could become a support base to provide advice on specific issues (you can’t be an expert on all aspects of sustainability), they can also connect the Licensee to others in sustainability. This process also feeds in to the consultation process, which is central to ensuring that your Sustainable ‘x’.com site is relevant for people and organizations in your city.
5.4 ESTABLISHING THE WEBSITE
Before a Sustainable ‘x’ .com site can be established, the Licence Agreement must be signed by both the University of Melbourne and the Licensee. Once this document is completed, the University of Melbourne will provide the following material:
• A set-up Sustainable Cities blogsite template
• Domain name and annual hosting for the site
• A password and username to access the blog data entry system
• Activation support
• Limited initial raining and on-going support from the VEIL Sustainable Cities Research Officer by email, phone or fax.
• Advice on how to proceed with the next steps for your Sustainable ‘x’.com site.
There is no cost for Sustainable ‘x’ .com sites within Victoria, Australia, during the current period of the VEIL project (to mid 2010).
For Sustainable ‘x’ .com sites located outside the state of Victoria, Australia, there is a annual fee for the upkeep of services. See Schedule 3 of the Licence Agreement for more information about this.
If you require access to this documents or would like further information, please contact:
Ferne Edwards
Sustainable Cities Research Officer
Victorian Eco-Innovation Laboratory (VEIL)
Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (ACSIS)
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010 Australia
T: +61 3 8344 3004
M: 0405 537 015
E: fedwards @unimelb.edu.au
W: www.SustainableMelbourne.com
W: www.SustainableCitiesNet.com
W: www.EcoInnovationLab.com
W: www.acsis.unimelb.edu.au