Sustainability in urban and rural planning has traditionally focused on the “proximity principle,” a concept that emphasises the importance of placing housing, shops, and services close together to reduce travel distances, promote walkability, and minimise carbon emissions. This approach was designed to encourage compact, self-sufficient communities where essential services were easily accessible, reducing reliance on private vehicles and contributing to environmental goals.
However, with the rise of digital services, the growing trend of remote work, and the increasing adoption of low-emission vehicles, the relevance of the proximity principle in assessing sustainability is being called into question. As society changes, the way we assess the sustainability of settlements must evolve to reflect new priorities and emerging realities.
The Changing Landscape of Sustainability
At its core, the proximity principle aimed to make communities more sustainable by reducing the need for car travel, improving access to services, and fostering a sense of community. While these goals remain important, recent trends have challenged the principle’s dominance as the best way to assess sustainability.
The digital shift has been a major driver of change. With the growing prevalence of online shopping, telemedicine, and remote work, physical proximity to shops, healthcare, or employment centres has become less critical. Many people can now perform tasks and access services remotely, reducing the necessity of living close to physical spaces. For example, the rise of e-commerce allows people to buy goods without ever leaving their homes, and telemedicine has made healthcare more accessible without the need for a physical visit.
Similarly, advances in green transportation, including electric and ultra-low-emission vehicles, are reducing the environmental impact of travel. With charging stations becoming more widespread and vehicle emissions decreasing, the need to live in close proximity to essential services is not as pressing as it once was. Low-emission cars, bikes, and public transport options make it easier for people to travel further without contributing to the carbon footprint, making distant locations more viable.
In this new landscape, the challenge lies in ensuring that settlements remain vibrant, inclusive, and resilient. The focus must shift from simply reducing travel distances to enhancing the quality of life for all residents, ensuring that communities are socially cohesive, environmentally responsible, and adaptable to future changes.
The Need for Community-Centric Sustainability
As digital services reduce the need for physical proximity to shops and workplaces, the focus of sustainability should shift to the provision of community facilities that encourage social interaction. These spaces are vital for combating social isolation, fostering a sense of belonging, and improving overall well-being.
Community centres, parks, libraries, and local meeting spaces are increasingly essential in providing people with opportunities to connect face-to-face. These places foster relationships and contribute to a community’s social fabric. As digital services take over tasks traditionally handled in person, maintaining spaces for physical interaction ensures that people are not left isolated in their homes, contributing to mental health and a stronger sense of community identity.
For example, village halls, community centres, and libraries can serve as multi-use spaces that host various events and activities, offering a venue for people of all ages to come together. Local parks and green spaces not only offer places for recreation but also serve as social hubs where people can meet, interact, and engage in collective activities. Cafes, pubs, and social clubs, while informal, are also essential in promoting face-to-face interactions and maintaining a vibrant community life. These spaces may seem modest, but they play an outsized role in keeping the social and cultural aspects of a settlement thriving.
As settlements grow and change, it’s important to provide spaces that not only support the digital economy but also promote social interaction, cohesion, and inclusivity. In this way, physical infrastructure remains just as important for fostering a sense of community, even as digital infrastructure allows for remote work and service access.
The Challenge of Low-Density Areas
While promoting community facilities is crucial for fostering social cohesion, there is an inherent challenge in low-density or rural areas: it is easier to encourage social interaction where there are more people. Urban areas, by their very nature, provide more opportunities for social engagement due to their higher population density. In cities and larger towns, public spaces like parks, cafes, and community centres are naturally frequented by more people, creating organic opportunities for interaction and fostering a sense of community.
In contrast, rural areas with lower population densities face the challenge of maintaining vibrant, social spaces. Fewer people mean fewer spontaneous interactions, and the facilities themselves may not be as frequently used. This can make it harder to foster a sense of community or to maintain the effectiveness of spaces designed for social interaction.
However, this doesn’t mean that rural areas can’t be socially vibrant. It simply means that additional strategies need to be considered. Multi-use spaces that serve a variety of functions, such as co-working hubs, community halls, or mobile services, can help make rural communities more cohesive and engaged. Likewise, digital platforms that complement physical spaces, such as virtual community events or digital social networks, can provide alternative ways to maintain connections, even in areas with lower population density.
A Balanced Approach to Sustainability
The future of sustainable planning lies in finding a balance between the physical and digital aspects of modern life. While the shift to digital services and green transport is inevitable, the human need for connection and community remains constant. By ensuring that communities provide a mix of digital and physical spaces, we can create environments that are both environmentally sustainable and socially vibrant.
This balance requires planners to think beyond traditional measures of sustainability, such as proximity to shops or employment centres. Instead, a more holistic approach should include robust digital connectivity, green transport infrastructure, and an emphasis on community spaces that encourage face-to-face interaction. Providing reliable high-speed internet, for example, is essential for enabling remote work, education, and telemedicine, allowing people to access services without having to travel. At the same time, investment in bike lanes, walking paths, and charging stations ensures that people who still need to travel can do so in an environmentally responsible way.
It’s also important to recognize the role of rural areas in sustainable development. While the proximity principle has often favoured urban centres, rural communities can thrive by leveraging digital technology and green transport solutions. These areas can provide ample green spaces, community hubs, and social services while utilizing digital connectivity to offset the challenges posed by geographic isolation.
Conclusion
In light of these considerations, the proximity principle alone is no longer sufficient for assessing the sustainability of a settlement. While proximity to shops and employment centres remains relevant, the rise of digital services, remote work, and green transport solutions means that other factors, particularly the presence of community facilities, should be given equal or greater weight in sustainability assessments.
However, the argument must also acknowledge that it is easier to foster social interaction in urban areas due to higher population densities. In rural areas, achieving social cohesion through community facilities requires additional effort, innovative strategies, and a blend of digital and physical solutions. The future of sustainable planning must therefore balance the need for proximity with the realities of modern life, ensuring that both urban and rural settlements are vibrant, inclusive, and resilient in a rapidly changing world.
