Community planning, citizen action, and sustainability in a southern California edge city: San Diego's University community, 2000–2018.

This paper examines the role of community planning groups and engaged citizens in planning for sustainability in a southern California 'edge city'. Through a case study of San Diego's University Community, a residential and commercial area encompassing the core of the region's bio-tech industry, it illustrates the constructive role that citizens and NGO's can play in sustainable planning. In particular, it highlights the efficacy and also the limitations of formal community planning groups, entities that have received little attention in the literature on sustainability. Using historical methodologies and participant observation, it reveals potential for cooperation as well as conflicts among city planners, planning groups, non-profit organizations and engaged citizens in giving practical application to 'sustainability' in local planning and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]