I have recently returned from an enjoyable, if rather windswept seasonal break on the coast of the north west Highlands in Scotland. The place we were staying was in a small crofting community at the end of a twisting and hilly single rack road, some 10 miles or so from the nearest village with some shops and public services such as a school, health services, a community centre (and a golf course by the beach).

Learning Cities and Communities nurturing Wellbeing and Democracy is the title of our joint research that I have been undertaking with Professor Yukiko Sawano from the Sacred Heart University in Tokyo. We are both members of the ASEM Lifelong Learning Hub, Research Network 6 for Learning Cities and Communities, that promotes research activities on the topic between Asia and Europe.