City Hall
Admittedly, Toes Town City Hall is an unusual place. Next to the community center, there is more creativity and experimenting going on here than anywhere else in town. The usual services are based here, like fire and police protection, but so much more. Elected officials are working on control of sprawl, protection of green space and how to ensure that the community receives a fair share of the wealth created through its physical infrastructure. The business that flourishes downtown does so because there is a downtown, and so the whole community should share in that fortune. Maintaining desirable public spaces represents an opportunity cost of forgone development - but adds value to the overall quality of life, which benefits other development. Understanding the community's broad quality of life issues and placing the business of the town into a context of sustainability is the game at City Hall. You can find out about efficiency strategies, like "green" buildings there too.
SCN
Governing Community Gateway
It is important for citizens and government officials to work
together cooperatively to find new approaches and ways of doing
business that support community goals.This section presents a variety
of approaches and techniques that have been used successfully in
different communities to make constructive use of local governments
and related government agencies to promote and enhance community
sustainability.
$GN
Library: Technological Reshaping of Metropolitan America
Uneven Development: Outer Suburbs and Exurbs
The typical pattern of American urban development is one of a vast,
low-density, and fragmented urban region with sprawling suburbs
surrounding an aging, sometimes decaying inner core. The relationship
between urban form and the overall quality of life in American cities
has been debated for many years. Since at least the 1970s, concerns
about urban sprawl and its relationship to taxes, the cost of
providing services, and environmental issues (the loss of farmland,
air pollution, water quality, energy use) have brought it to the top
of the public policy agenda in numerous states and localities.
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Presentations--Growing Smarter: Fighting Sprawl and Restoring
Community in America
The impact of sprawl extends far beyond aesthetics. Besides being
ugly, it is extremely wasteful and fiscally irresponsible. Last year
a hearings
board in Washington State held that sprawl causes a number of major
problems:
Smart
Growth Network Index
Development that Serves Economy, Community and Environment.
Amendments
to U.S. Constitution
Amendment I (1791)
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The
Sprawl Net Home Page
Sprawl Net is an attempt to use the multimedia capabilities of the
World Wide Web to collect information, ideas, and opinions about the
contemporary sprawling landscape, and to encourage interested people
from a wide variety of fields to work together.
The Alliance Web
Page
The mission of the Alliance for Democracy is to free all people from
corporate domination of politics, economics, the environment, culture
and information; to establish true democracy; and to create a just
society with a sustainable, equitable economy.
sustainability
sites on internet
LINKS TO INTERNET SITES ON SUSTAINABILITY: Here are some
internet-wide organizations and sites that we feel share our vision
of a sustainable future (or at least close enough!):
PCDF Home Page
The People-Centered Development Forum (PCDForum) is an international
alliance of individuals and organizations dedicated to the creation
of just, inclusive, and sustainable human societies through voluntary
citizen action.
Eco-Village Information
Service
An eco-village is a human scale, full-featured settlement which
integrates human activities harmlessly into the natural environment,
supports healthy human development, and can be continued into the
indefinite future.
Sustainable Architecture,
Building and Culture
We offer a unique compendium of links and content oriented to the
global community of ecological building proponents. This site is best
viewed in SVGA resolution (800x600). Unfortunitly, using VGA
resolution (640x480) will not allow one to fully access all of our
subject areas and will require horizontal scrolling.
EcoDesign Resource
Society
The purpose of the EcoDesign Resource Society is to provide the
public and the design, building and manufacturing industries with the
means to make informed, healthy and environmentally sensitive
choices.
EcoNet's Architect./Land
Use/Urban Planning Resources
Green architecture and design, urban environment, land use planning
and policy...
The Center for Voting and
Democracy
The Center educates the public about the impact of voting systems on
political representation, proportional representation, voter turnout,
and the
influence of money in elections.
The Campaign for New
Priorities
Do you know what our lawmakers have been up to? Recent CNP reports,
and the "Vital Statistics" series. FAQ, Perspectives, Polls, and
more!!! Federal programs in Housing, Education, the Environment, etc.
Renew
America
The Environmental Success Index, is a product of Renew America's
nationwide search to verify and document projects that measurably
protect, restore or enhance the environment.
Local
Sustainability Policy Documents
European best practice. This site is not always available.
CESD: Success
Stories from Renew America
The following communities and organizations have been selected as
outstanding examples of sustainable development in action from Renew
America's "Environmental Success Index."