The term "sustainable communities" has various definitions, but in essence refers to communities planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living. Sustainable communities tend to focus on environmental and economic sustainability, urban infrastructure, social equity, and municipal government. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "green cities," "eco-communities," "livable cities" and "sustainable cities."
Different organizations have various understandings of sustainable communities; the term's definition is contested and still under construction. For example, Burlington, Vermont's Principles of Sustainable Community Development"Appendix A: Definitions and Principles of Sustainable Communities" Sustainable Communities Task Force Report. Fall 1997. http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/suscomm/suscoa.html stress the importance of local control of natural resources and a thriving non-profit sector to a sustainable community. The Institute for Sustainable Communities outlines how political empowerment and social well-being are also part of the definition.
Additionally, referring to communities in Shanghai and Singapore, geographer Lily Kong has paired concepts of cultural sustainability and social sustainability alongside environmental sustainability as aspects of sustainable communities. Meanwhile, the UK's 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan often abbreviates its definition of sustainable communities as "places where people want to live and work, now and in the future"."What is a Sustainable Community?" The National Archives. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1139866 Addressing the scale of sustainable communities, political scientist Kent Portney points out that the term sustainable communities has been used to refer to a broad variety of places, ranging from neighborhoods to watersheds to cities to multi-state regions.
Etymologically, the term "sustainable community" grew out of the related discourses of "sustainability" and "sustainable development" that gained widespread use among local, national, and international politicians and policymakers in NGOs starting in the late 1980s. The term originally referred to environmental concerns and was later applied to cities.
Examples of Sustainable Community initiatives
The best example of a real Sustainable Community is Saint Michael's Sustainable Community in Costa Rica. The community produces far more food and water than it needs. It uses regenerative agriculture as a base to live in harmony with nature.
Sustainable community initiatives have emerged in neighborhoods, cities, counties, metropolitan planning districts, and watershed districts at different scales pertaining to community needs. These initiatives are driven by various actor groups that have different methods of effectively planning out ways to create sustainable communities. Most often they are implemented by governments and non-profit organizations, but they also involve community members, academics, and create partnerships and coalitions. While each community has its distinct needs, stakeholders generally evaluate the indicators of sustainability with regard to system performance, policy, and rapid feedback in order to keep or alter their sustainability programs.
Nonprofit organizations help to cultivate local talents and skills, empowering people to become more powerful and more involved in their own communities. Many also offer plans and guidance on improving the sustainability of various practices, such as land use and community design, transportation, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and climate friendly purchasing.
Some government groups will create partnerships where departments will work together using grants to provide resources to communities like clean air and water, community planning, economic development, equity and environmental justice, as well as housing and transportation choices.
Social movements have gathered momentum, spreading sustainable community ideas around the world, not only through example, but also by offering classes and training on sustainable living, permaculture, and local economics.
International initiatives
United Kingdom
The Sustainable Communities Plan was launched in 2003 through the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Lacking an official national spatial development plan, the UK employed the Sustainable Communities Plan as a regional development plan targeted at the South East of England. Additionally, the plan created the Academy for Sustainable Communities. The £38 billion plan identifies four key growth areas for development and regeneration: the Thames Gateway, Ashford, Kent, London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough (LSCP) and Milton Keynes/South Midlands (MKSM). Designed during a period that projected sustained economic growth into the future, the plan's implementation has been slowed and disjointed, particularly since the Great Recession.
An affordable housing shortage in the UK has also challenged the Plan's implementation.
National initiatives The Partnership for Sustainable Communities is an interagency partnership between the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These departments work together with a mission to "improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment"."About Us" Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Retrieved 10 March 2014 http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/aboutUs.html All three bureaus offer funding opportunities to support communities in areas of clean air and water, community planning, economic development, energy efficiency, equity and environmental justice, as well as housing and transportation choices. The partnership incorporates six principles of livability into its grant-making and program development.: Provide more transportation choices Promote equitable, affordable housing Enhance economic competitiveness Support existing communities Coordinate policies and leverage investment Value communities and neighborhoods
Along with working collaboratively, these government agencies also have their own initiatives. The Department of Housing and Development has an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities which features a Sustainable Housing Initiative, aiming at "supporting the construction and rehabilitation of green affordable housing""Sustainable Housing Initiative" U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved 10 March 2014. and does this through programs that retrofit or construct energy efficient homes. They also work to standardize energy efficiency standards across federal agencies, as well as expand the availability of financing for home energy improvements and multifamily housing.
The Environmental Protection Agency has a Smart Growth Program which conducts research, publishes reports, showcases outstanding communities, and works with communities through grants and technical assistance."Smart Growth" U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 9 March 2014. They also have a Green Communities Program which provides communities with a tool kit of information to help them reach sustainable goals. The tool kit is arranged in a five-step program which allows communities to:"Basic Information" Green Communities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 9 March 2014. Develop community assessments of their current conditions Formulate trend analyses that answers the question "Where are we going?" in the face of no intervention Create vision statements of where the community sees itself in the future Establish action plans about what programs and initiatives will help the community reach its goals Access tools to implement action plans
The Department of Transportation has a Livability Initiative which issues "grants to eligible recipients for planning, vehicle purchases, facility construction, operations, and other purposes","Grants and Programs" U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 10 March 2014. with numerous goals, including the improvement of surface transportation, providing public transit on Indian reservations, providing access to disadvantaged communities, etc.
Case Studies from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities
The Euclid Corridor in Cleveland
Once a thriving place of business and home to the wealthy and elite, Euclid Avenue in Cleveland had seen a decline in commerce following the Great Depression. During this economic downturn, Cleveland became a shrinking city as many of its residents moved and homes were turned into boarding houses or abandoned altogether.. After decades of work by city leaders and residents to revitalize this part of the city, the bus line HealthLine debuted in 2008. This bus line increased ridership and helped The Euclid Corridor begin to see the redevelopment of abandoned properties as well as investment in development of commerce, to the tune of $4.3 billion. This created thousands of square feet of retail space and thousands of jobs. The success of the revitalization of the Euclid Corridor is due in large part to engaged community leaders, community members, and NGO's like MidTown Cleveland who worked on ensuring that there was a variety of housing investments. EPA assisted with the redevelopment of abandoned space through their brownfield assessment grants and HUD provided mortgage insurance on properties to aid in the development of Euclid Avenue."Transit as Transformation - The Euclid Corridor in Cleveland" Partnership for Sustainable Communities. June 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2014" http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/pdf/studies/cleveland-euclid-corridor.pdf
Greenville, South Carolina's Westside
Following a shift from the cotton production that once thrived in the west end of Greenville, South Carolina, this part of the city began to see a flight of its residents and with it the abandonment and decay of its buildings and facilities, higher crime rates, and more low-income households. In 2010, HUD and DOT awarded the city $1.8 million to support a three-year planning initiative which sought to improve affordable housing, transportation, and increase economic development. The HUD provided a loan to encourage economic growth, specifically through the conversion of an old cotton warehouse into an area of retail shops, offices, and restaurants known as West End Market.
The success of West End Market led to 230 building permits being issued around the area in a three-year period, resulting in a successful arts district that created jobs as well as drew tourists and locals. EPA assisted with the redevelopment of abandoned space through $200,000 in brownfield assessment grants which allowed for the city to facilitate clean up, or initiate redevelopment. The city also worked with the Federal Highway Administration in demolishing an unnecessary bridge which allowed for the development of a recreational area with a cross bridge, waterfalls, and walking paths, known as Falls Park on the Reedy. In 2005, a mixed-use development was constructed across from Falls Park with a hotel, apartments, restaurants, and retail and office spaces to help further spark economic growth in the area."Revitalizing Greenville's Westside" Partnership for Sustainable Communities. December 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2014 http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/pdf/studies/greenville_sc.pdf
Seattle's South Lake Union Neighborhood