Urban sustainability in application: best case practices
Creators: name: Harper, Patrick Bennett
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2009

description: Over the past half decade, a strong consensus has grown among American political leadership that climate disruption poses an urgent threat to the environmental and economic health of our communities. Following the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol on February 16, 2005 by 141 countries, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels created the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement with the goal of matching the international membership level. A mere five years later, over 900 mayors representing all 50 states have signed onto the initiative committing to meet Kyoto limits on greenhouse gas emissions while pushing state and federal governments to enact policies and programs to reduce emission levels. On a local level, the agreement promotes sustainability initiatives such as the incorporation of anti-sprawl land use policies, urban forest restoration programs, and expanded transit option. The popularity of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement exemplifies the current paradigm shift toward the prioritization of environmental stewardship and sustainability as a central criterion in the decision-making process among not only public authorities, but private businesses and the collective consumer as well. Cities are thinking far more than in the past about how they can be organized and managed and provide services in a sustainable way. The question then becomes why some communities have been capable of taking advantage of these opportunities while others lag behind. The complexity of this issue is immense with contexts ranging from political will, community values, and demographics to urban form and geographical constraints. Some city characteristics are simply more conducive for sustainability practices. Because of this complexity and distinctiveness, this question is best addressed on an individual basis. However, an alternative approach to examining sustainability and cities is to analyze best-case practices that can potentially serve as models for application in other communities, regardless of their particular characteristics. Doing so also reveals common traits of successful programs. This paper identifies innovative programs and policies that are being implemented on a local level to address issues of sustainable urbanism. These are solutions that bridge theoretical concepts to produce illustrative, real and measurable results. These models can then in turn serve as guidelines for other communities. Showcasing how some cities are meeting the sustainability agenda will allow public decision makers in others to take better advantage of the potential benefits sustainability has to offer. Furthermore, any examination of progress made towards the realization of sustainable development adds depth to the field and presents the opportunities for future programs to build upon pioneering principles. I hope that through this analysis, cities in the formative stages of sustainable development planning will be able to apply the lessons of their counterparts and fully leverage the progress that has already been made toward making cities smarter and more sustainable.