Visions for urban life in the coming decades

Four out of five of us live in towns and cities. Urban livingcan be fun and frustrating, exhilarating and exhausting, convenientand confining. Our towns and cities are changing around us, butwhilst for some the prospects are bright, others face decline andan uncertain future.

The Government has pulled together its plans for towns andcities into an urban White Paper. This offers a vision for an'Urban Renaissance', where people shape the future of theircommunity, live in attractive well kept towns and cities which areenvironmentally sustainable, where they are all able to create andshare in prosperity, and access good quality services.

'Working out Our Calling in Towns and Cities' is a newlypublished Methodist resource booklet for groups wanting to reflecton the future of the area in which they live. It consists of foursections which can be adapted to suit the group, the area or thetime available:

• Mapping your area - looking at where you live
• What happens when policy hits reality?
• Looking at the Bible's perspective on cities
• Our Calling - what is the role of the church in towns andcities?

Note: A similar resource booklet on issues raised by the RuralWhite Paper will be available in May.