To the contrary, it is a response to the absence of opportunities for social bonding that are essential to healthy human function. While world leaders discuss solutions to the global economic crisis at the level of the international economy, people all around the world are creating an alternative economy based on community based ownership. Thousands of examples are thriving in the United States, the heartland of capitalism. The main obstacle to sustainability is overproduction and overconsumption in wealthy countries. A Netherlands study has calculated per capita shares of the sustainable product of the ecosystem and suggested approaches to organizing societies that provide a high quality of life within these norms.
Urban sprawl based on unrestricted use of the automobile is a major contributor to unsustainability.
Transportation planning has primarily involving responding to congestion. A new approach is needed in which transportation and spatial planning are integrated to reorganize urban space around walking, cycling, and public transit. Creating a Community Economy. A case study of a rural town in the United States provides examples of initiatives to create a community economy. These range from creating community currencies and a local fund for affordable housing to the creation of community land trusts.