Sustainability Committee (Home)
Attendees, Northern Section Board Retreat, Jan. 2011WELCOME to the temporary web home for the Northern Section's Sustainability Committee in collaboration withSustainability 2030 (S2030). [NOTE: This area of S2030's site is under development. Suggestions and feedback are welcome: scott-e@sustainability2030.com.]
In the fall of 2010, the Committee developed a proposal and work plan, and was launched with approval at the January 2011 Board retreat (photo is of attendees).
Contents of This Page
- Committee Overview
- How to Use the Committee's Area of the S2030 Site
- Introductory Resources
- Featured Northern Section Innovative Sustainability Planning Cases
Committee Overview
Objectives
The Committee's objective is to advance and accelerate innovative sustainability planning in the Northern Section in response to growing urgency of the sustainability challenge and the limited time available for an effective response, as follows:
- Provide access to informational, educational, and training resources;
- Develop resources and services that highlight leading-edge practice;
- Showcase on-going innovation in the Section;
- Cultivate and support a deepening sustainability dialogue within Northern Section communities; and
- Expand the collaborative innovative community of the Northern Section's sustainability planners.
Emphasis
The Committee's emphasis is on accelerating leading-edge community sustainability planning in the Northern section, beginning with a strategic approach, in response to the larger, increasingly urgent sustainability challenge. For a quick introduction to the larger sustainability challenge, See Thomas Friedman for a short Op. Ed. overview (see also Hot, Flat, and Crowded) and/or Lester Brown for a 15 minute interview video clip and a newly released 1.5 hour documentary.
The question we--that is, Northern Section Planners--need to answer in response to the sustainability challenge and context of Friedman and Brown is, "What is the unique role of planning and planners in the response?" The answer, or one anyway, is "community sustainability planning," but what is that? Simply stringing a few words together "does not a field make!" The answer behind the title has yet to be invented. Although, work has begun, it is a work in progress. That task of on-going invention is the fundamental challenge to planners.
How to Use the Committee's Area of S2030's Site
This Sustainability Committee "Home" page provides a quick introduction to the Committee and resources developed to date. Scroll down the page for a quick overview. The links provide access to documents containing the referenced material that will open up in their own separate tab or window of your browser. The sidebars contain links to other features, such as other resource links of interest, announcements, blogs/journals, and discussion boards. You can read, download, comment, and sign up for email notification on the blogs/journals. Your comments are welcome: email scott-e@sustainability2030.com or post them on thediscussion board (post: Website Launch).
Introductory Resources
The following documents provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of the Committee, it's work program, and the primary resources on innovative community sustainability planning assembled to date.
- Introduction-Sustainability
- Introduction-Committee
- Highlights
- Publishing Program
- Key Initiatives
- Resources
- Research Program
- About
The "Resources" page includes select, leading-edge, sustainability planning cases in the North Section, the USA, and internationally, along with tools, training, and other useful resources.
Other Documents
Sustainability Committee
Northern Section/SFSU DUSP Research Project -- Leveraging Leading Edge Sustainability Planning
- Project Pitch to Class (February 2011)
- Presentation to the Board--Preliminary Results (May 2011)
- Final Client Report (May 2011)
Featured Article
- How Possible is Sustainable Development, by Edward Jepson, PhD
The Northern Section's
- Legacy sustainability articles -- the Naphtali Knox collection.
Featured Northern Section Innovative Sustainability Planning Cases
(See also Resources).
- Village Homes (early ecologically designed, 70-acre subdivision, 1975-80s, that is still illustrative and ahead of the pack)
- Sonoma Mountain Village, Home-Video and The Community (leading-edge, “deep” sustainability, U.N. One Planet project)
- 2007 San Jose Green Vision and a Sustainability General Plan 2040
- Marin Countywide Plan 2007, Summary—Sustainable Marin: Nature, Built Environment, and People. A comprehensive plan’s highly innovative full embrace of sustainability.
- San Francisco Sustainability Plan (1997) and current Strategic Plan (click down to “Strategic Plan 2010-2012.” One of the earliest initiatives. Innovative multi-stakeholder process and plan.
- A Compact for a Sustainable Bay Area, from the Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable CommunitiesInspirational and pioneering regional consensus development process that spawned a range of innovative threads. Precursor to the current One Bay Area response to AB 375.
- Sunnyvale: Horizon 2035 Committee, merging Land Use and Transportation Element updates and a Climate Action Plan
- City of San Carlos Climate Action Plan. The 2009 award winner for Innovation in Green Community Planning, APA California Chapter-Northern.
- Climate Action Plan, Berkeley. The 2010 award winner for Innovation in Green Community Planning, APA California Chapter-Northern.
- Plan Bay Area Land Use Scenario – Initial Version
