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Research Group on Local and Regional Sustainability (LOCSUS)

The uncertainty derived from climate change and the pressure on natural resources leads to proposing procedures that help establish new models of civil society management and use of natural resources. Thus, sustainable development implies maximizing citizen participation and, therefore, strong social awareness. Furthermore, since environmental sustainability is part of an integral vision of the territory, long-term sustainable development models are needed, which include the different uses of space (tourism, residential, productive, etc.) and their projections.

From these needs arises the Research Group on Local and Regional Sustainability (LOCSUS), which focuses on analyzing the elements and variables involved in the sustainable development of territories and societies, developing strategic planning methodologies, studying the processes involved in the local approach to development, monitoring and evaluating public policies (indicator systems), and coordinating and participating in local development processes.

The LOCSUS research group is part of the Interuniversity Institute of Local Development (IIDL) of the University of Valencia and Jaume I University. It was created and led for years by Professor and Doctor Joan Noguera Tur, whose enthusiasm serves as a role model for us. That is why we aim to be faithful to the objectives that led him to create this research team. Currently, the group is coordinated by Professor Dr. Adrián Ferrandis Martínez.

RESEARCH LINES WITHIN THE LOCSUS GROUP

Sustainable local development and urban planning: Elaboration of analyses at different scales and in different thematic areas that allow the design of recommendations to achieve greater social cohesion, a higher quality urban environment, and sustainable economic development, all within the concept of local sustainability.
Sustainable tourism: Analysis and development of new criteria, methods, and instruments for tourism territorial planning, from an integral perspective, aimed at facilitating the transversal incorporation of the concept of sustainable tourism.
Social development in a historical perspective (with special, but not exclusive, attention to Latin America): From the field of historical discipline, especially in the realm of what we call recent history, we work to contribute to increasing the social effectiveness of representative democracy, making it sustainable and resistant to populisms of different kinds.
Decentralization and good governance: Strategic planning and evaluation of local and regional development policies. Most of the actions of public administrations are carried out without analysis and evaluation protocols for their results. The aim is to improve existing evaluation systems and implement them in policies and programs with an impact on local and regional development.
Future sustainability: Limits of growth and scenarios for sustainability beyond the 21st century. Prospective thinking/action line aimed at imagining solutions to overcome the main medium- and long-term limitations to achieve a long-term sustainable development model. This line of research needs to permeate the conceptual frameworks of the rest of the lines.

FIELDS OF APPLICATION

LOCSUS carries out various analyses, with the ultimate goal of designing a more sustainable territorial development model that achieves diverse objectives to be analyzed (tourism, commerce, urban and industrial planning, competitiveness, social coexistence, or the territory in general). The group has competitive projects and contracts with different public and private entities, with which it conducts research and transfers knowledge aimed at the revaluation of natural, cultural, educational, or industrial resources of the territory, as well as the evaluation of the impacts derived from the implementation of new local initiatives. It also manages and promotes local development, policies, and strategies of interest to public administrations, associations, and federations. Specifically, it offers technical advice and consultancy on: Analysis of the impacts derived from the implementation and launch of new ideas and initiatives in local environments. Feasibility projects for the implementation of new industrial policies and the development of regional development plans. Analysis and evaluation of natural and heritage resources and their incorporation into a territorial development strategy. Urban planning and territorial organization: