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The purpose of the project was to compile and design a leaflet to support the assertion that a high quality environment provides an essential basis for delivering economic growth and competitiveness agendas, and that funding for the environment supports sustainable regional development.
The aim of the publication was to employ a combination of evidence from recent research and topical, innovative case studies to persuade the reader that the environment has a key role to play in the future economy of the regions.
LUC’s role consisted of four key elements:
- to gather the appropriate evidence through a review of recent documents and reports on the subject;
- to draft the findings in a clear and convincing manner;
- to explore and identify, through telephone interviews and other communication, a number of case studies to support the key points made in the text;
- to design a short publication that presents the evidence and case studies in an effective style.
Whilst the wide-ranging benefits of the environment to an area’s economy are generally recognised within the environmental profession, these benefits are often not appreciated in the wider world. The European Regional Policy Group (ERPG) required a convincing publication in order to promote the extensive benefits of investing in the environment to decision-makers at an international, national and regional level. Through highlighting the significant benefits of the environment to the economy, the ERPG hope to secure additional funding for environmental investment from European and national funding streams. With the future approach to European funding streams being determined in 2006 for the 2007-2013 period, the ERPG saw a timely opportunity for the promotion of environmental investment.
The project met the brief through a comprehensive summary of relevant literature on the subject, twinned with a selection of relevant case studies representing recent examples from England, Scotland and Wales.
At the time of publication, the work was fairly ground-breaking, providing a concise and accessible summary of the contributions of the environment to economic growth. The publication succeeded in providing a selection of environmental case studies which had created significant economic and social benefits through investment of European funds. LUC selected an inter-office team, allowing the Bristol, Glasgow and London offices to contribute case studies gathered from their surrounding regions. The publication was pitched at a non-specialist audience and rose to the challenge of promoting a complex subject in a clear manner. The publication was well-received by the European and national level decision-makers to whom it was presented and LUC received positive feedback from the ERPG.
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