A governance framework for eco-centric behaviour in communities

Climate change and its impacts have taken centre-stage in the media as well as academic research in recent years. This has led to better awareness of the sustainability issue among the general public. However, knowledge about sustainability is not necessarily matched by actual sustainable practices. The community plays an important role to effect lasting changes towards a more eco-centric behaviour. While various disciples such as marketing, psychology and urban design have undertaken research on this topic, these have often been done in isolation. The purpose of this paper is to draw together the knowledge from these well-established disciplines and develop a governance framework for eco-centric behaviour and community resilience. The Six–P governance framework includes psychological needs, physical facilities, personal motivations, public perception, price mechanisms and policies for community resilience. To illustrate the application of this governance framework, strategies adopted by green campus communities that reflect the Six-P framework are presented.