
University researchers must involve the public in studies about climate change and sustainable cities in order to improve trust in urban planning processes, a Cooperative Research Centre chief executive has said.
Deo Prasad, who heads the CRC for Low Carbon Living, says that sustainable building research needs community engagement “where feedback from the consumer can be gleaned and absorbed”.
“This also lets the people feel involved with sustainable change. This is no easy task and the help of local governments and other community-focused organisations are the key,” he writes in an editorial published on the CRC’s website.