Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources for Citizens and Their Governments. Revised and Updated.

Many of the most critical global environmental issues are rooted in local, day-to-day problems. Local decisions about such issues benefit all citizens globally. This book attempts to identify and document the current range of initiatives toward developing sustainable communities. Dozens of tools, initiatives, and resources are presented, accompanied by hundreds of references to aid readers in their own research. Part 1 explores the meaning of sustainable development and its implications for communities. A framework for sustainable community development is also presented. Part 2 is comprised of a set of sustainable community building blocks. Each chapter provides an overview explaining the topic and its relevance to sustainable communities followed by a set of planning tools, practical initiatives, and associated resources that have helped citizens and their governments move toward sustainable communities. Part 3 focuses on mobilizing citizens and their governments toward sustainable communities. It concentrates on government of sustainable communities and tools for managing community sustainability, and concludes with lessons for designing effective sustainable community development policies. Topics include urban agriculture and aquatic systems, water and sewage, conservation issues, air quality, transportation planning, land use, housing, and community economic development. This book focuses on the developed countries of North America, i.e., the United States and Canada. (PVD)