As the green movement continues to gain momentum, cities across the country are asking what they can do to become greener and more sustainable. There are many ways to define a sustainable city, but it is up to each community to create its own vision of what sustainability means to the people who live there and which specific goals they wish to achieve.
“Sustainable communities are defined as towns and cities that have taken steps to remain healthy over the long term. Sustainable communities have a strong sense of place. They have a vision that is embraced and actively promoted by all of the key sectors of society, including businesses, disadvantaged groups, environmentalists, civic associations, government agencies, and religious organizations. They are places that build on their assets and dare to be innovative. These communities value healthy ecosystems, use resources efficiently, and actively seek to retain and enhance a locally based economy. There is a pervasive volunteer spirit that is rewarded by concrete results. Partnerships between and among government, the business sector, and nonprofit organizations are common. Public debate in these communities is engaging, inclusive, and constructive. Unlike traditional community development approaches, sustainability strategies emphasize: the whole community (instead of just disadvantaged neighborhoods); ecosystem protection; meaningful and broad-based citizen participation; and economic self-reliance.
– Institute for Sustainable Communities
12 Steps to a Sustainable Community
1. Create a sustainability plan: The first step to becoming a sustainable city is establishing a plan with specific goals and a long-range vision that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each individual community. This process should involve a considerate amount of public input and may depend on the buy-in of a chief elected official to ensure commitment and participation of government departments. Chicago‟s Mayor Richard Daley and New York City‟s Mayor Michael Bloomberg are two well-known sustainability “champions” for their cities, but large cities aren‟t the only ones being recognized for their efforts; mayors of smaller cities like Patrick Henry Hays of North Little Rock, Ark., and Lioneld Jordan of Fayetteville, Ark., are also putting their communities on the map for their progressive plans toward sustainability.
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability identifies 10 keys to sustainability planning success:
1) Hire a sustainability coordinator to run the show
2) Obtain buy-in from a big wig
3) Form teams that build bridges across city departments – and beyond city hall
4) Develop a greenhouse gas emissions inventory
5) Define clear, relevant and measurable goals
6) Get regular people to tell you what sustainability goals are important to them
7) Develop implementation plans within your plan
8) Take a deep breath and release a draft plan for public comment
9) Obsessively track the implementation status of your measures
10) Remain accountable to the public
2. Increase civic participation and community involvement: Citizen participation and support is important in all aspects of the planning process. Strategies should be developed to solicit greater input from all economic and social groups throughout the entire community. The Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC) offers a guide on using information technology to increase citizen participation, and the city of Berkeley, Calif., has included a citizen participation element as part of its general plan.
Furthermore, communities should encourage the collaboration of stakeholders in making development decisions. For example, the National Charrette Institute has developed a project management system that spans the entire pre-construction period and includes a multiple-day, collaborative design workshop, that‟s purposefully open to the public and includes all interested parties. Design-based zoning is an example of a new alternative to traditional Euclidean zoning codes, and integrates public opinion into the pre-construction entitlement process, allowing citizens to have more input on the way their surroundings will look and feel, not just how neighboring lands will be used. Communities should also strive to increase awareness and engage citizens in the sustainability movement by making information available such as online resources, convenient access to green policy documents and guidelines, community briefing sessions, and informed staff available to answer questions. The city of Portland, Ore., has created a website called Your Sustainable City, which provides its residents with solutions to living a more earth-friendly lifestyle, and provides resources for outdoor activities and local food sources. Also, Portland‟s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability webpage displays local green projects and includes information on recycling, climate protection, green jobs and clean energy.
3. Support regional cooperation: Several issues affecting the sustainability of cities extend beyond municipal boundaries and can only be effectively planned for on a regional scale including economic, social and environmental issues. For example, transportation systems will be more efficient – leading to increased bus/rail ridership – if neighboring communities coordinate their connections together. Rivers and streams are another example, because they flow through multiple jurisdictions, carrying each area‟s pollutants downstream to nearby communities, destroying wildlife and affecting local economies that use these water bodies for transportation, recreation and drinkable water supplies. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), a regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area, metro Atlanta obtains 99 percent of its water supply from rivers, lakes and streams. Recently, ARC has been working with the states of Florida, Georgia and Alabama to negotiate an agreement for the equitable allocation of water from Lake Lanier, which 3 million people in metro Atlanta depend on for their water supply. It is estimated that there is enough water in the ACF basin (Lake Lanier) to meet the reasonable needs of all users if the reservoirs are managed properly; however, failure to do so would present a public health and safety threat to metro Atlanta, would harm downstream communities, and would also impact the economy of the entire Southeastern United States. Local municipalities must be conscious of the effects their actions have on their neighbors and work together to create regional solutions to these larger issues in order to avoid duplicative and inefficient efforts on their own. Virginia adopted the Regional Cooperation Act in 1995, and has 21 Planning District Commissions (PDCs), which are voluntary associations of local governments intended to foster intergovernmental cooperation. The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) advocates for and provides services to its member councils of governments (COGs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and serves as a national voice for regionalism.
4. Preserve and enhance natural resources: The natural resources available to every community should be preserved to protect native species and support biological imperatives for clean water and air, food, shelter and public safety. When communities are unable to prevent development from breaching important natural ecosystems, at a minimum, an effort should be made to preserve linear, connected greenways so wildlife can attain the resources vital to their existence without the interruption of roads or fences. For existing roads and highways, “critter crossings” are an effective tool to protect wildlife by allowing them cross over or under roads with specially designed bridges and tunnels. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) provides information on various types of critter crossings, and includes a searchable nation-wide database of successful projects. Where possible and appropriate, natural resources should be enhanced to beautify cities, increase public awareness about the environment, and promote healthy living. The city of Greenville, S.C., has spent the last two decades working on a massive downtown revitalization project centered around Falls Park on the Reedy River. Before the revitalization effort, the polluted river was in a severe state of decline, with obstructed views and limited access. Now the park offers spectacular waterfall views from the newly constructed Liberty Bridge and serves as a centerpiece attraction for the city, while maintaining the integrity of the natural environment.
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Source: U.S. Green Building Council
