In this essay, the Director of Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO), Alex Whinnom, argues that if Greater Manchester is to be a sustainable city it needs to address a number of key challenges, the biggest of which is to involve all citizens in discussing and developing a shared perspective of what sustainability means -- what it might look like, why it is important and how it can be achieved.

In this essay, Alison Surtees argues that we need to work together differently if we want to create sustainable communities. A balance has to be struck between economics (who pays), ecology (impact on environment) and society (communities); and everyone (communities, the public, private and third sector) has to be involved, bringing their expertise in each area to ensure collective ownership.