SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME?

Wingspread Journal, Volume 18, Issue 2 Spring 1996

The idea of sustainable community has the potential to be a major force in America in the coming years. What is its appeal and what is needed to advance the movement successfully? Following is an excerpt from a special report prepared for The Johnson Foundation. 

What is the sustainable communities field or movement? It depends on the lens at hand. For some, it is about livable cities and towns, for others it is a key to greater environmental protection, for still others it is a way to rethink economic policy so that it benefits everyone in a community. Definitions vary, but they share common themes and concerns: economic security, community vitality, ecological integrity, equity, and a commitment to the welfare of future generations. It is also—fundamentally—about change, and strengthening communities' abilities to plan for the future and take advantage of opportunities, rather than falling victim to larger forces and trends. 

The field is nothing if not diverse. It encompasses and, at its best, weaves together such fields and professions as the environment, economic and community development, business, government, social justice, architecture and design, land-use planning and zoning, housing, and transportation. 

This diversity is both a strength and a challenge. Building healthy communities requires that all the necessary strands be addressed and interwoven. Such diversity, however, also brings with it differences in outlook, emphasis, and language that must be both appreciated and at the same time brought together. For example, community groups concerned about jobs and social equity have, in the past, had little in common with those whose concerns center more on environmental protection, growth management, or urban design. The resulting fragmentation often results in short-term solutions to particular problems rather than broader, long-term solutions to the interlocking challenges to community welfare and the environment. 

Although it is impossible to identify all the efforts underway today, it is safe to say that the field is expanding steadily. Community-based experiments are emerging in all parts of the country, ranging from small rural towns such as Red Lodge, Montana, to inner-city neighborhoods in Atlanta. A surprising number of towns and cities from Annapolis, Maryland, to Lubec, Maine, have launched explicit sustainable efforts. The list seems to grow daily. A few have emerged, perhaps prematurely, as models or examples, such as Sustainable Chattanooga, and Ecotrust's work in Willapa Bay, Wash. 

These experiments are complemented by a growing number of nongovernmental organizations that serve as clearinghouses, intermediaries, technical assistance providers and policy advocates. At the governmental level, interest in, and support for, sustainability remains modest, but appears to be growing. In some communities, like Burlington, Vermont, the mayor is eager to pursue a sustainable development path. In the cities like Chattanooga, local government has at times dragged its feet. At the federal level, there are individuals, in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who have participated in the President's Council on Sustainable Development and have begun to reframe their work as assisting community efforts to become more sustainable. Despite the growing interest among national organizations and the federal government, the field's strength continues to lie at the community level, the source for new ideas and energy. 

Today, when politicians and citizens alike are searching for new, effective solutions to stubborn environmental and social problems, the sustainable development (or communities movement) offers a constructive and appealing way to frame and grapple with a host of problems that afflict the country today. Indeed, many believe that this is a movement that has the intellectual and political potential to provide effective responses to community disintegration, economic decline, and environmental degradation. There are several reasons why this emerging movement could, if advanced properly, appeal to both the public and to policy makers. The sustainable communities movement: 

Addresses Citizens' Central Concerns And Values 

The sustainable communities movement is an attempt to grapple with the issues and problems that concern people most deeply: community, health, the future of their children, quality of life, economic well-being, environmental protection, and the role of government. Citizens define and act upon their own agendas rather than simply reacting to outside pressures. Indeed, one might view the many innovative projects as an emerging movement that is questioning traditional development, and demanding that ecological integrity and quality of life for all community residents be given higher priority in policy and economic decisions. 

Looks To The Future 

While many current responses to community problems center on the need to return to the ways and power structure of the past, community sustainability efforts focus on the future—on new strategies, partnerships, and technologies to strengthen and protect communities' economic, social, and environmental resources. 

Strengthens A Community's Ability To Deal With Change 

Community sustainability strategies focus on the development and strengthening of the social capital, institutions, and processes that enable communities to grapple with, and prosper from, change. They help communities become more resilient. The field reflects the growing acknowledgment that long-term solutions to many of the country's most pressing problems, such as poverty and environmental degradation, will be devised and implemented at the community level. 

Develops Processes For Finding Common Ground 

The sustainable communities movement recognizes the importance of developing processes and mechanisms to find and develop common ground among members of a community. From this common ground, and a belief in the importance of the community's welfare, emerge the consensus and collaboration that enable communities to tackle their problems and to defuse the anger and frustration that undermine constructive action. 

Strives To Benefit All Members Of The Community 

Sustainable community projects pursue policies and strategies that enhance economic security and environmental health for all members of the communities. 

Emphasizes Citizen Involvement And Institutional Accountability 

Community proponents seek to make citizens' voices heard in governmental decision-making and to achieve greater transparency in government operations and programs. Citizens participate in open processes that set community goals and allocate resources. 

Although the sustainability movement is enjoying increasing visibility, it is for the most part restricted to circles populated by the converted. The President's Council on Sustainable Development's task force on sustainable communities has focused media attention on promising experiments in different parts of the country. But this is hardly a mass movement, and its political utility remains, in most regions, unproved. There is growing energy and enthusiasm, but proponents have still not succeeded in creating a broad-based movement. 

What Are The Challenges And Needs Facing The Field? 

Even the most ardent supporters concede that the sustainable communities movement, so vital and innovative in particular places, has not yet created sufficient momentum and increased its base of support significantly. The field faces several challenges and hurdles as it grows from an isolated set of experiments informed by the writings and theories of a small number of thinkers, to a broad-based, politically attractive framework for policy, business, and development decisions. There are several overlapping challenges and needs 

The field, so full of experiments and innovations, has not yet moved beyond rhetoric. There has been too little analysis of what is happening in communities or, more to the point, what is working. We do not know what circumstances must prevail for communities to launch successful sustainability processes. Nor do we know what constitutes success or how to measure it, although there is promising work being done on this front. And it is not clear which tools are most effective in advancing communities towards sustainability. What works? What are "best practices?" More analysis and rigor are essential. 

In this field, umbrella terms which foster inclusivity also substitute for specifics. This is in large part because this is not so much a new field as a new weaving together of strands that heretofore have functioned separately. The combination of practitioners' experience with researchers' insights could have a significant impact on the field's understanding of how to proceed in the future. There is a need for theory that is both creative and solidly grounded. 

Communities themselves need better information about what works. Although there is a growing body of data and publications on many aspects of sustainability, it is also true that communities do not necessarily get the kind of information and exchange they need. Practitioners, including community groups and local government officials, need information appropriate to their circumstances. 

Sustainable community is not a new field, but a bringing together of many different fields. This is an important strength and also a significant challenge which is just beginning to be addressed. Each strand or sector brings different training, professional experiences and blinders, priorities, and perspectives to the mix, making it challenging to bring them together. Yet, recent experience suggests that a failure to take a more holistic approach to problems often results in either incomplete and inadequate solutions or, in the case of the environment, political backlash. 

An important example of this is much of the environmental movement's emphasis on natural resources and policies to ensure their conservation at the expense of problems of development and sprawl. A sophisticated understanding of how the vitality of urban areas is linked to the health and preservation of natural resources, for example, would not only produce more viable solutions, but also might develop larger constituencies for both sets of issues. 

There are powerful forces beyond community control that weaken or negate local ability to move towards more sustainable forms of development. Funding for highways, for example, undermines the strongest efforts to build and maintain downtown communities. The state and federal policies and regulations that undermine local community efforts must be identified and made more supportive of sustainability. 

A more complex challenge is the issue of control of financial capital. Many critical economic decisions are no longer made within a community's borders, but in distant financial capitals or corporate boardrooms. This raises a critical question for the sustainable communities' field: To what extent can local efforts to enhance economic and ecological vitality succeed, given the increased mobility of capital and the trend towards policy and financial decisions being made outside the community? 

Local groups often find it difficult to raise funds. This problem is compounded by the fact that sustainable development, like community development, is for the long haul, is labor intensive, and often requires sophisticated expertise. Secondly, rare is the private funder or government agency whose funding program is designed to encourage the community-oriented, interdisciplinary approach that sustainable communities must take. 

There is a growing sense among many engaged in this field that governance issues are as critical to the success of sustainable communities as are technology, design, and financial resources. An engaged citizenry and a community belief in the value of the public good, sometimes even at the expense of individual welfare, are critical to a community's future prospects. Responsive, enabling government that works in partnership with citizens, particularly at the local level, is crucial to the success of sustainability. 

As responsibility is devolved from the federal to local levels, it will be important to explore how programs and policies can be fundamentally changed so they serve to strengthen communities' abilities to manage their resources effectively rather than merely shift public power from one level of government to another that may be equally ineffective. This is important because government is a critical partner in the move towards sustainability. It controls resources, provides policy incentives, and implements community and environmental programs. But government is also one of the greatest institutional barriers to change. Although there are examples where government has played a helpful role in advancing sustainability—for example, in Seattle; Burlington, Vermont; and Portland, Oregon—the majority of those involved in community sustainability efforts cited government as a barrier to experimenting with, and institutionalizing, more sustainable practices. Government needs to be educated, and institutional flexibility and innovation encouraged. 

Business, too, is an important partner in achieving community sustainability. Some corporations have taken the idea seriously. The Social Venture Network, for example, is exploring how it can become involved, and various corporations have begun to address eco-efficiency issues. In many communities, however, there has not been sufficient communication between community groups and business to explore more creatively the role business can play in helping communities change. 

Part of the challenge of advancing the sustainable communities field is imagination. What does a sustainable community look like? Is it achievable? At a time when our future seems unclear and uncertain, it is difficult for many to respond to the idea of sustainable community. The sustainable community movement, if it is to prosper, must communicate to people images of a realistic sustainable future and convince them that it can happen. 

Weaving a New Tapestry 

The concept of sustainable communities is a new interweaving of fields that previously functioned either separately or without sufficient collaboration and communication. As The Johnson Foundation embarks on a five-year focus on sustainable community development, we seek, through our co-sponsorship of conferences and briefings, to advance the emergence of this relatively new field and to strengthen the abilities of those within it to move communities toward sustainability. Wingspread is an ideal place to weave together, through discussion and debate, the diverse strands of this rich and various mix. 

With what strands might this new tapestry be woven? Following is an outline of ideas and questions Janet Maughan's report suggests we might wish to encourage individuals and organizations to explore: 

• What is success? What are the indicators of sustainable community and what have been the results in communities that have attempted to measure progress? 

• What does a community need to move toward sustainability? A systematic understanding of the conditions and institutions necessary in a community to enable it to move towards sustainability over time needs to be developed. 

• What are the tools necessary for environmentally responsible economic development? Communities that have attempted to generate employment, while at the same time protect the environment, need to share what they have learned. 

• Who needs to be involved? What are the roles of local government and business in building sustainable communities? 

• What policy changes need to be made—at all levels of government—to create the most supportive community for sustainability? 

Further Reading 

Architects for Social Responsibility, A Sourcebook for Environmentally Responsible Design. Boston Society of Architects. 

Lester R . Brown and Staff, State of the World: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society. W.W. Norton & Company, Annual Yearbooks, 1996. 

Don Deis and Tammy Kutzmark, "Developing Sustainable Communities," in Public Management. August 1995. 

Robert Frenay, "Chattanooga Turnaround," in Audubon. January-February 1996. 

Jean Giono, The Man Who Planted Trees. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1985. 

Albert Gore, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Houghton Mifflin, 1992. 

Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce. Harper Business, 1993. 

Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage, 1961. 

Daniel Kemmis, The Good City and the Good Life : Renewing the Sense of Community. Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Kemmis is the mayor of Missoula, Montana. 

John P. Kretzman and John L. McKnight, Building Communities from the Inside Out. Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1993. 

Frances Moore Lappé and Paul Martin DuBois, The Quickening of America/ 

Rebuilding Our Nation, Remaking Our Lives. Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1994. 

Bill McKibben, "The Enigma of Kerala," in Utne Reader. March-April 1996. 

Donella H. and Dennis L. Meadows, and Jorgen Randers, Beyond the Limits: Confronting Global Collapse, Evisioning a sustainable Future. Chelsea Green Plublishing Co., 1992. 

Bob Walter, Lois Arkin, and Richard Crenshaw, eds., Sustainable Cities: Concepts and Strategies for Eco-City Development. Eco-Home Media, 1992. 

World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, 1989. 

The Wingspread Journal is the quarterly publication of The Johnson Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 547, Racine, WI 53401-0547; phone: 414-681-3343; fax: 414-681-3325.

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