Sustainable Community Development

Ms. Adrienne Joan Duperly

Dr. R. Warren Flint
 Sustainable Community
Development and Restoration of the
Blue Lagoon Marine Environment &
Coastal Habitat in Jamaica

Photographer, Adolphe
Duperly
“Picturesque Jamaica”
 Lush tropics, turquoise
crystal sea, misty blue
mountains, exotic
flowers, meandering
rivers, white shimmery
beaches.

The Celebrated Parish of Portland

 Legacy of Sustainable
Practice
We reap from earth, sea and sky’s harvest
Phase I – Following my
Passion
 Promoting & bringing
awareness for
preservation of
Jamaica’s world-class
heritage, culture, and
environments

 Sharing my passion
with like-minded people

 Searching for
help from
others
 Parish of Portland(76,000
pop.)
 North-East Coast of
Jamaica
 Capital City : Port Antonio
 Pirates & Smugglers &
CovesLAGOON OF TODAY
BLUE
 Tropical Rain Dense
Forest
 Misty Blue Mountains
 Scatterwater , Reach Falls
 Somerset, Nonsuch Falls
 Beaches: San San, Boston,
Frenchman’s Cove, Folly,
Winifred, Drapers, Dragon Bay
 “In 2009 I found two beaches by
Blue Lagoon had become a dump
site for construction and human
waste”

Restoration of Blue Lagoon may be a catalyst for sustainable development

and heritage revival Photo and quote: Adrienne Duperly March
Past: Gather

Present: Traditions

Future: Generations

Transforming present
conditions through a
return to our heritage,
for future generations.
 Phase II – Seeking
Help
Retained St. Mary’s University Business
Development Centre (Halifax, Nova Scotia) to
develop a background report on Blue Lagoon
regional development
Partnered with Dr. Warren Flint of Five E’s
Unlimited (http://www.eeeee.net) to provide
guidance on sustainable community
development
Sought guidance of others to design a public
dialogue process
 Blue Lagoon Heritage
Concept Plan
SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

 Outlined current issues faced in the

Blue Lagoon region, both
environmentally and socially
 All-inclusive, participatory potential to:
1. save a piece of Jamaica’s history
2. create sustainable employment
opportunities for locals
 Theme of community dialogue can
include topics of Land, Wood, & Water
 Stakeholders encouraged to share their
insights and visions
 Identified initiatives will add
sustainable value to the environment
and local community
 Challenge
Interest leaders in pursuing sustainable
community development (SCD)
governmental officials
land-owners
business people
educators
influential community members
Move away from “top-down” development
Encourage all-inclusive, “bottom-up”
participatory involvement by all
stakeholder sectors
Move beyond “complaints” to solutions
 Public Participation Spectrum
(Adapted from International Assoc. of Public
Participation)
Inform Consult Involve Collaborate Empower

Public Provide public with Obtain public Work directly with Partner with public in Place final
balanced and feedback on public throughout the each aspect of the decision-making
Participation objective analysis, process; ensure decision including in the hands of
Goal information; assist alternatives, public concerns and development of the public.
them in and/or decisions. aspirations are alternatives and
understanding the consistently identification of the
problem, understood and preferred solution.
alternatives, considered.
opportunities,
and/or solutions

Promise to the We will keep you We will keep you We will work with We will look to you for We will
informed. informed, listen to you to ensure advice and innovation implement what
Public and acknowledge concerns and in formulating you decide.
concerns and aspirations are solutions and
aspirations, and directly reflected in incorporate advice &
provide feedback the alternatives recommendations into
on how public developed and the decisions to the
input influenced provide feedback on maximum extent
decision. how public input possible.
influenced decision.

Example Fact sheets Public comment Workshops Citizen advisory Citizen juries
Web sites Focus groups Deliberative poling committees Ballots
Techniques Participatory
Open houses Surveys Delegated
Public meetings decision-making decision
Design charrettes
Consensus-building
What is Sustainable Community
Development (SCD)
Acting Sustainably
Requires Thinking
About the:
Connections
Choices
Consequences
 Model
Planet

eg ic

Ec ec men
y
g
ri t

on urit t
S
Int lo

De
p
s hi
o

vel

o y
Ec

rd

m
op
wa

ic
Ste

People Community Capacity Profit

Social
Equity
 Phase III – Shared
Vision
Engage Blue Lagoon regional community
and governing bodies to become essential
partners for change
Organize “Blue Lagoon Regional Summit “
Explore Potential World Heritage Site
Designation
It’s lift off time! now the rubber hits the
road
Blue Lagoon Summit Design

o Increased
tourism
o Reverting to past
way of life
o Adding value to
existing assets
o Fair access to
jobs, resources,
and
environments
o Do nothing
 SCD Summit Issues
Environmental
rehabilitation/protection
Decrease economic leakage
Identify means of building upon
region’s capital assets
Improve community lifestyles
Build community resiliency
Promote sustainable development and
the continued preservation of a
Jamaican national treasure
 Community Capital Assets
Model
Built Financial
Capital Capital

Natural Political
Capital WELL-BEING Capital
Healthy Ecosystem
Vital Economy
Cultural Social Equity
Social
Capital
Capital

Human
Capital

Source: Cornelia Butler Flora, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, 2004
 Spiraling of Capital Assets
Local asset
Environmental added value
degradation. improves

up
Spiraling
economy and
decreases
Loss of
economic
jobs.
leakage.
Cultural
capital
Decline in increases.
per Involve youth;
capita Support
income. entrepreneurship;
gnil ari pS
n wod

Capture 10% of
Loss of
wealth transfer.
generational
Bridging social
wealth
capital
transfer.
brings outside
expertise
together with
 We are excited about the prospects of this Jamaican
sustainable community development process. We invite
International Development Agencies to become partners in
our process.
Thank you for listening to my story!