In practice sustainability means maximizing social equity and economic well-being while minimizing environmental impact. It is finding ways to achieve our development and growth goals that provide opportunities and access for the greatest number of people while both enhancing the positive and reducing the negative impact on the environment. Sustainability is separating economic growth and community development from environmentally damaging resource use and practices.
What does Sustainability mean in practice?
Why should a City strive to be Sustainable and Resilient?
According to the United Nations Environmental Program, cities, while taking up only 3% of the Earth’s surface, are responsible for a majority of waste production and energy use. Approximately half of all solid waste, 60-80% of greenhouse gasses and 75% of consumption of natural resources, can be attributed to cities. As much as 80 percent of the world’s population is expected to reside in urban areas by 2050. Because cities are responsible for so much consumption and waste production, actions taken at the city level have a huge impact. Current technology and minimum investments can lead to reductions of waste production, energy, and water use which, taken cumulatively, can reduce global environmental impact.
Cities are poised to have an incredible impact and make progress towards sustainability and resiliency. Many goals of sustainability include broader national and international goals, such as the agreements decided in Paris in 2015 for global carbon emission reduction. Achieving national and international targets requires adding up actions at smaller scales. Cities are able to contribute to meeting these goals through actions within their jurisdictions.
Large-scale resiliency and environmental goals such as clean air, clean water, reduced emissions, increased mobility, reduced hunger and poverty, and greater biodiversity have global appeal. The individual strategies to achieve these goals may be different from community to community and tailored to meet the needs of the people, culture, and environment found locally. Cities are in the position to customize strategies for maximum success under their individual conditions. Cities also control many of the arenas that hold the largest challenges and opportunities for achieving resiliency goals. Cities control infrastructure, zoning, building codes, and utilities. In this way, cities can directly impact resiliency and sustainability though their own actions and indirectly impact it by creating a framework of guidelines, regulations, and incentives which allow individuals and businesses to achieve sustainability and resiliency goals.
Achieving resiliency goals benefits cities and their residents by:
- Improving efficiency of municipal buildings, fleet, and utilities means the municipality saves money, allowing tax dollars to be allocated to other initiatives.
- Creating urban density and mixed use developments, coupled with mobility improvements such as public transit and bike and pedestrian infrastructure, relieves traffic congestion, improves local air quality, and makes the City more accessible to a greater number of people.
- Increasing transit, walking, and biking stimulates the local economy. Less money spent on transportation means more money expended in the community
- Proximity to busy sidewalks and bike lanes has been shown to increase business revenues by as much as 60%. Neighborhoods with higher walkability scores or which are adjacent to bike lanes or trails have higher property values than comparable neighborhoods without those same amenities. (source)
- Reducing vehicle use improves air quality and respiratory health as vehicles contribute approximately half of all urban air pollution.
- Vibrant and accessible downtowns created from sustainable practices are attractive to tourists, new residents, and businesses.
- Reducing energy and transportation costs for residents.
- Attraction of “green” businesses and creation of “green” jobs.
- Increased resiliency of built infrastructure and communities to changing environmental conditions such as sea level rise, storm surges, and weather extremes.