Title Taking sustainable cities seriously : economic development, the environment, and quality of life in American cities / Kent E. Portney

Published Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, ©2003

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 284 pages) Series American and comparative environmental policy American and comparative environmental policy. Contents 1. Sustainability, Sustainable Economic Development, and Sustainable Communities: The Conceptual Foundations of Sustainable Cities -- 2. Measuring the Seriousness of Sustainable Communities -- 3. The Environment, Energy, and Sustainable Cities -- 4. The Economic Development Side of Sustainability: Growth versus Smart Growth -- 5. The Communitarian Foundations of Sustainable Cities: A Solution to the Tragedy of the Commons, the NIMBY Syndrome, and Transboundary Impacts? -- 6. Is a Sustainable City a More Egalitarian Place? Sustainable Communities, Environmental Equity, and Social Justice -- 7. Cities That Take Sustainability Seriously? A Profile of Eight Cities -- 8. Sustainable Cities in Practice: More Cities, More Questions Summary Today at least twenty-five major U.S. cities have pursued some form of sustainability initiative. Although many case studies and "how-to" manuals have been published, there has been little systematic comparison of these cities' programs and initiatives. In this book Kent Portney lays the theoretical groundwork for research on what works and what does not, and why. Distinguishing cities on the basis of population characteristics and region for his analysis, Portney shows how cities use the broad rubric of sustainability to achieve particular political ends. Cities that take sustainability seriously, such as Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle, use broad definitions that go well beyond concern for the physical environment or creating jobs. They pursue sustainability at many levels and integrate concern for economic development, the environment, and quality of life across all activities of city government. Cities that take sustainability less seriously, such as Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando, confine it to such issues as solid waste disposal, brownfields, redevelopment, and neighborhood beautification. Still other cities, such as New Haven, Brownsville, and Milwaukee, do considerably less to work toward sustainability. Portney begins by reviewing the conceptual underpinnings of sustainable development and sustainable communities. The comparisons that follow provide a foundation for assessing the range of what is possible and desirable for sustainability initiatives. In the book's conclusion, Portney assesses the extent to which cities can use the pursuit of sustainability either to foster change in public values or merely to reinforce values that are already reflected in systems of governance Analysis ENVIRONMENT/Environmental Politics & Policy URBANISM/General Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-269) and index Notes English Print version record Subject Urban ecology (Sociology) -- United States Urban policy -- United States Sustainable development -- United States SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Sociology -- Urban. Sustainable development Urban ecology (Sociology) Urban policy United States Form Electronic book ISBN 9780262281799 0262281791 0585446776 9780585446776

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