Resource Futures and Devon Communities Together, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, are undertaking a research project titled ‘Governing Sustainable Futures’, which launched on 9th April 2026. This initiative aims to explore effective methods for supporting communities in future collaborations when confronting sustainability issues that may lead to division and conflict. The project seeks to understand the underlying reasons behind agreements or disagreements regarding sustainability and environmental challenges within communities. Four specific areas are being considered for this research: Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, Coastal Erosion, Renewable Energy, and Environmentally Friendly Diets. The project’s objective is to develop and test new approaches that can foster increased participation and collaborative working within communities, with a particular focus on Devon, but with broader applicability elsewhere. The ultimate goal is to generate guidance and best practices that will assist in finding constructive ways to debate and address sustainability issues at a local level. This will be achieved through conducting discussion groups and workshops involving local people, including decision-makers, organisations, members of the public, and community groups.