More than 1,000 residents have already joined workshops and activities at the What If? Community Space, building everyday skills to stay safe and connected during extreme weather.
Edgeley, Greater Manchester.
The What if? Community Space that took place over the summer with renewals of the abandoned school in Park View is being further renewed to become a permanent community space to host an ideas collective, where residents can lead change together.
The What If? Community Space is becoming a learning space where residents explore climate impacts and practical ways to protect themselves and their neighbours.
Through workshops, gardening and food activities, people are learning how to stay safe during heatwaves and floods while strengthening local connections.
What If? also serves as a place to test and improve community response and recovery during emergencies.
Equipped with better insulation, What If? shows how energy efficiency can improve community buildings so that they stay cool in summer and comfortable in winter.
To build a picture of each community, the Resilience for Communities (R4C) program used risk mapping, open-data sources, expert interviews, community surveys and focus groups. This assessment used the Climate Resilience Measurement for Communities (CRMC) tool to assess community resilience to extreme heat and flooding - helping to identify priorities and design solutions.
Sources of resilience — The WhatIf? Café strengthens Edgeley’s social, physical and human resilience.
Social
Physical
Human
Developing a community-owned and run space that brings residents together around shared challenges.
Reviving the Park View building as a community resource for collective benefit.
Creating opportunities to learn about resilience and strengthen community networks.
Impact multipliers — Resilience solutions have a different mix of impact multipliers and impact multiple systems, businesses and societies. Together, multipliers produce an amplified impact.
Energy efficiency
Improved cooling insulation will help the What If? Community Space become a model for how residents can improve the energy efficiency and comfort of their homes.
Community Awareness
Through workshops and events, residents learn how climate impacts daily life and how to respond.
Community Cohesion
Provides a shared space where residents can plan, connect and act together.
Access to cool spaces
Thermal insulation keeps the building comfortable during summer heatwaves, offering a safe space for residents.
How does this solution make a difference? – Addressing prioritized shocks and stresses
Extreme Heat
Frayed social ties
Emergency response
Building heat awareness and preparedness
Education and outreach strengthen local understanding of how rising temperatures affect health and wellbeing, enabling residents to act early and support one another during heatwaves.
Building shared community space
The What if Space has partnered with the Stockport Food Partnership and other groups such alongside other groups such at the Stockport Green Network to use the space for community community members and activists can convene and plan for action and activity across Stockport.
Creating a safe, reliable community space
Making the What If? Community Space a safe, comfortable and energy efficient hub for residents to seek shelter during extreme heat and other emergency events can help build the community’s trust in local institutions.
Community of Edgeley
1 in 5 survey respondents in Edgeley reported experiencing food insecurity.
Less than half of survey respondents in Edgely expressed trust in public services.
