The groundwork for the analysis of traditional neighborhood developments has been established through the identification of the qualities of sustainability and the identification of the normative qualities associated with each aspect. With these qualities in mind, we can begin to generate an idea of what a sustainable community should strive to become by responding to the social, environmental and economic aspects related to each quality.
While this provides us with a starting point in the generation of an ideal sustainable community, it is important to understand that the complete list of characteristics for a sustainable community is exhaustive and evolving with each passing day.
A sustainable community should have a unique sense of place that will provide the community with an opportunity to create a community and social purpose that facilitates and enhances social interaction. It is through the creation of a sense of place that a sustainable community begins to become more than just a residential development; it begins to become an actual community.
Associated with the creation of a sense of place, the community should begin to develop a sense of civic pride and they should begin to take pride in where they live. It may be through the establishment of a diverse cultural matrix that the community can begin to create its unique sense of place coupled with the enhancement of an overall sense of civic pride.
The encouragement of efficient use of time ensures that the sustainable community will be flexible in its uses. This flexibility fosters a paradigm shift from consumerism to conservationism that helps to ensure the long-term sustainability of a community.
The move away from consumerism allows the community to focus on the quality of goods versus the quantity of goods consumed. It is through the education of the members of the community regarding the benefits of utilizing ecologically friendly products and design solutions that this paradigm shift will be possible.
A pro-active recycling and re-use plan helps to ensure a community’s sustainability through the application of progressive waste management practices that reduce the regional need for land consumption dedicated to the treatment and disposal of waste products. These products can be adapted and utilized in various stages of construction, fertilization and the manufacturing of goods from recycled material.
A sustainable community should be biased against the use of the private automobile as the main source of transportation. The encouragement of a pedestrian-friendly environment ensures that the dependence on the automobile can begin to be reduced. Public transportation should not be designated as a separate land-use in the sustainable community. The integration of viable public transit options with other land-uses will help to reduce the dependence on private automobiles as well.
The reduction of the dependence on the private automobile will allow the sustainable community to reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy sources. The encouragement of the use of alternative energy sources for every component of the community will not only help to reduce the dependence on non-renewable energy sources, but it helps to foster a community’s sense of civic pride and lends itself to the evolution of a unique sense of place for the community.
The sustainable community should strive to preserve the global environment through the implementation of these aspects and take pride in the fact that their community will serve as an example of how our development patterns can change in order to ensure our sustainability as a global community.
We are guilty for sending teams into foreign countries to advise them how to be like us. -Arthur Erickson
While this provides us with a starting point in the generation of an ideal sustainable community, it is important to understand that the complete list of characteristics for a sustainable community is exhaustive and evolving with each passing day.
A sustainable community should have a unique sense of place that will provide the community with an opportunity to create a community and social purpose that facilitates and enhances social interaction. It is through the creation of a sense of place that a sustainable community begins to become more than just a residential development; it begins to become an actual community.
Associated with the creation of a sense of place, the community should begin to develop a sense of civic pride and they should begin to take pride in where they live. It may be through the establishment of a diverse cultural matrix that the community can begin to create its unique sense of place coupled with the enhancement of an overall sense of civic pride.
The encouragement of efficient use of time ensures that the sustainable community will be flexible in its uses. This flexibility fosters a paradigm shift from consumerism to conservationism that helps to ensure the long-term sustainability of a community.
The move away from consumerism allows the community to focus on the quality of goods versus the quantity of goods consumed. It is through the education of the members of the community regarding the benefits of utilizing ecologically friendly products and design solutions that this paradigm shift will be possible.
A pro-active recycling and re-use plan helps to ensure a community’s sustainability through the application of progressive waste management practices that reduce the regional need for land consumption dedicated to the treatment and disposal of waste products. These products can be adapted and utilized in various stages of construction, fertilization and the manufacturing of goods from recycled material.
A sustainable community should be biased against the use of the private automobile as the main source of transportation. The encouragement of a pedestrian-friendly environment ensures that the dependence on the automobile can begin to be reduced. Public transportation should not be designated as a separate land-use in the sustainable community. The integration of viable public transit options with other land-uses will help to reduce the dependence on private automobiles as well.
The reduction of the dependence on the private automobile will allow the sustainable community to reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy sources. The encouragement of the use of alternative energy sources for every component of the community will not only help to reduce the dependence on non-renewable energy sources, but it helps to foster a community’s sense of civic pride and lends itself to the evolution of a unique sense of place for the community.
The sustainable community should strive to preserve the global environment through the implementation of these aspects and take pride in the fact that their community will serve as an example of how our development patterns can change in order to ensure our sustainability as a global community.
We are guilty for sending teams into foreign countries to advise them how to be like us. -Arthur Erickson
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