ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses cost-neutral and high-impact interventions and examines four core themes: namely, localism and community participation, trustworthy role models, education and well-being, and low-carbon domestic life. Community participation is not the same as community management, as A. Power and J. Houghton discuss in detail through the positive experiences of Copenhagen and other forward-thinking municipalities. Power and Houghton found that, under most scenarios, neighbourhood management pays for itself through a reduction in vandalism, lower insurance premiums, better repairs, increased property values and enhanced physical attractiveness. Through strong neighbourhood management, areas that had previously been dissected by roads or used for car-parking were converted into new people-friendly spaces. Essential components of neighbourhood management include: neighbourhood manager, local office, cooperation with other public services, and community representatives. Communities and neighbourhoods are asked to regularly host communal cooking events such as barbecues, bread-baking and soup-making to encourage greater community cohesion.
