Quality of Life
To achieve the vision, the region needs to focus on three key factors:
- Developing Culture and Image.
- Developing the sense of Community in the Northwest – including community cohesion.
- Improving the Environment – including capitalising on our natural assets, the quality of the visitor experience and the quality of the physical environment.
Research Programme 2008/9
State of the Rural Northwest Update
The economy of rural areas is no longer dominated by the land based sector although this is significant in terms of the environmental quality of rural areas which attract new residents and economic activities. The sector profile of most rural areas is now diverse with services and manufacturing complimenting the more traditional land based activities. This study will look at the overall GVA value and employment mass the rural economy contributes to the Northwest economy. Recognition of the rural environment as a key economic resource will support better management of resource. The outputs were published in October 2008.
Aim: To assess the economic contribution of the rural economy to the Northwest economy
Outputs:-
Executive Summary
Volume 1 - Main Report
Volume 2 - Technical Report
Climate Change Impacts and Responses
The measures needed to tackle (mitigate) and respond (adapt) to the effects of climate change pose challenges as well as opportunities for the economy of the Northwest and the UK at large. The impacts will be, and are being, felt by private and public sector organisations alike and it is critical that these are fully understood and effective responses are planned for in a timely manner.
This study will focus on key vulnerabilities and strategic opportunities across the region and drive forward adaptive capacity in particular and identify responsibilities for adaptive action. Understanding the nature if each sector and the risk each faces in the context of climate change now and in the future is central to the success of the project.
Aim: To better understand the impact of climate change on the region now and in the future.
Environmental Considerations in Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth (ECOSEG)
This study will look at the potential environmental capacity issues arising as the region’s economy continues to grow so we can identify and understand them as we move towards the production of a Single Regional Strategy. It will also be important to recognise that some of these capacity issues may generate business opportunities in their own right – such as growth in the energy and environmental sectors.
This study will look at the environmental aspects of achieving sustainable economic development: the critical infrastructure requirements and the opportunities and potential from the environment in terms of meeting our economic goals and what the environment can offer the region’s economy; and then look at the impact on resources and biodiversity should we achieve our targets and visions. The aim is to provide clear recommendations on the specific and general environmental capacity issues the Northwest will need to address in order to achieve the economic growth implied by current strategies.
Aim: To evaluate the potential environmental capacity issue arising as the region’s economy continues to grow.
Faith Communities Research
There is an emerging prominence given to faith issues in the public square. The NWDA recognises the social capital that faith communities represent, not least in the most deprived areas of the region. This makes them legitimate partners in sustainable economic development. Having already undertaken research which measures the economic impact of faith communities in economic terms, this study wishes to perform an audit of existing faith based projects in order to further identify the added value faith brings and measure the added value that faith communities bring to public life in the region.
Aim: To measure the added value faith communities bring to public life in the region through an audit of 12 projects in which faith communities are significantly involved.
This project is expected to deliver its outcomes in March 2009 and when complete should produce a final report together with summaries of each of the 12 case study projects.
Regional Index of Sustainable Economic Wellbeing (RISEW)
Over the last few decades, industrialised countries have achieved unprecedented levels of prosperity and material comfort, and are now taking stock of what all this wealth actually means, and how it is related to underlying goals of personal and societal welfare. And over the same period we have also developed a keener awareness of how dependent we are on limited resources, of our impact on those resources, and that we need real structural change if we are to make those resources last for more than the next generation or two.
The Regional Index of Sustainable Economic Well-being (R-ISEW) is an adjusted economic indicator which attempts to monetarise costs and benefits which are not traditionally measured in monetary terms. It brings together a wide range of economic, social and environmental issues into one analytic framework to allow fair comparisons between them.
Aim: Other than GVA this study will use ‘alternative’ indicators to measure well-being.
The Economic Impact of Heritage in the Northwest
The Northwest’s heritage as a substantial asset is unquestionable. It is also true that these assets make a substantial economic impact through attracting visitors and investment and providing employment across a range of professions including those in the construction industry. However when it comes to understanding the broad economic impact of the Northwest’s heritage assets at the regional level there is a significant evidence gap. There is substantial local and sub-regional data available and methods exist for measuring the economic impact of heritage investment however at the broadest level the fact remains that we do not fully understand the economic impact of heritage to our region. Therefore the NWDA wishes to commission high quality work to fully understand the current and potential economic value of heritage assets in the NW across a range of economic factors.
Aims: To assess the direct and indirect economic impact of the Northwest's heritage assets to the Northwest economy.
Research Programme 2007/8
Re-engaging with the Land – Our Most Precious Asset
In recent years, true commercial profits have been hard to find in agriculture. Food, particularly food from Britain is undervalued in our own society. The impact of global choice and competition means that self sufficiency in the UK continues to decline. Paradoxically, many parts of the world continue to suffer famine.
This study will undertake a modelling exercise examining the scenarios for land utilisation now and in the future. In particular it will assess the capability and capacity of the region for planting non-food based crops such as those for cosmetics (e.g. lavender etc.) and those for fuel (e.g. miscanthus) especially in terms of geology, climate, land and existing agriculture.
Aim: To undertake a modelling exercise to examine the scenarios for land utilisation now and in the future.
Outputs:-
Our Most Precious Asset: Main Report
Our Most Precious Asset: Appendix Part 1
Our Most Precious Asset: Appendix Part 2
Our Most Precious Asset: Appendix Part 3
Our Most Precious Asset: Appendix Part 4
Our Most Precious Asset: Appendix Part 5