Climate Hope Lincoln visit CIVIC SQUARE

Purpose of the visit

As part of LocalMotion Lincoln's local plan and capacity building, the visit included voluntary sector CEO’s, City of Lincoln Council climate manager, CIC and community therapist, LocalMotion Lincoln place lead and comms takeover. 

The purpose of the visit was to inspire and re-learn the essence of community engagement – through vision and empowerment, not fixed commissioner criteria and meaningless outcome measures. 

Civic Square use Doughnut Economics (the donut) as a tool for community engagement and building momentum and awareness in their place. 

Through various listening activities Lincoln voices had shown an interest in contributing to a greener more sustainable future. 

Attendee responses

“Fantastic day listening to an inspirational show burn project at Civic Square. Looking forward to the collaborations that may come from it, the co-creations and growing that today brings to Lincoln.”

“I have been reminded how essential getting out, beyond what we know or are familiar with, and immerse yourself in a new world. I feel completely inspired.”

“This is such a different way of thinking from my commercial and public sector backgrounds. I think I want to re-write my presentation for our climate commission off the back of this visit."

“Learning of the evolvement of Civic Square both as a movement / organisation and its organic development as well as the on-site developments provided valuable insight into how they were building a civic movement but also understanding how long that journey can take.”

“Learning about the journey to secure the freehold for the land for the local community for generations to come was inspiring. Civic Square’s successes make us realise that communities don’t always have to wait for intervention and funding from local councils to bring about the change they want to see. An intergenerational future is an economically, environmentally and socially just one. Everyone has the right and should have the opportunity to get involved in nurturing and empowering projects because as Robin Wall Kimmerer says, “All Flourishing is mutual”. It was interesting to learn about the concept of 3oC Neighbourhoods and the role Retrofitting has to play in helping to prepare neighbourhoods for increases in global temperatures.”

“The visit was very thought provoking and enriching in terms of creating space to meet and talk to like-minded people that fundamentally want to challenge systems change, create positive change in nonlinear ways and within the backdrop of a very complicated local landscape. The language they used was interesting in terms of equitable approaches, disruptive social justice approaches, and particularly their approach to examining the current risks to UK urban neighbourhoods with climate change.”