My friend Walter Menzies, who has died of a brain tumour aged 69, made a profound contribution to the cause of sustainable development, driven by his fascination with people and places. “Sustainable development is the only credible way of organising our environment, economy and society,” he stated uncompromisingly in a collection of 30 years of his writings. He developed a passion for community-led development while working on a scheme to improve Victorian terraces in Eastleigh in Hampshire. Walter took a job with a local housing association, Merseyside Improved Houses, where he ran a special projects department, known as “Wally’s Wheezes”. Between 2000 and 2005, he was one of the first commissioners in the Labour government’s Sustainable Development Commission.

Source: The Guardian May 30, 2019 15:56 UTC