Planning & Land Use,
Housing & Building
Are Cities Environmentally Sound?
DEAR ECONOMIST, By Tim Hanford
Financial Times U.S. Saturday edition, March 5, 2004
Dear Economist:
I am worried about the damage we wreak on our planet, and I want
to do my bit to reduce my personal environmental impact. I was thinking
of moving to the country and living a more self-sufficient life.
But is there a better way?
Jocelyn Hathaway, London
Dear Jocelyn,
You should ask yourself, rather, if there is a worse way. London
may not appear to be the model of sustainable development, but it
is an organic commune compared with what would happen if the other
7 million inhabitants selfishly decided to move to the country.
Tightly packed, rich cities such as London are easily the most environmentally
friendly way to enjoy modern life. Wealthy people squeeze into cozy
apartments. Denser cities mean more efficient transport. Only 10
percent of commutes into central London take place in cars.
Manhattan, the densest and richest city of all, was recently described
in The New Yorker magazine as "a utopian environmentalist community"
and it is vastly more energy-efficient, per person, than any of
the 50 American states.
My advice is to forget all this self-centered nonsense about moving
to the country. Instead, you should put double-glazing in your flat,
travel to work by bike and relax in the smug knowledge that you
are living in one of the greenest cities on the planet.
 The
State of California has an extensive and authoritative Annotated
Bibliography for California Planners.
Urban Planning
The
Local Government
Commission, based in Sacramento, is one of the nation's leading
proponents of good urban design.
The
Center on Urban and Metropolitan
Policy is from the venerable Brookings Institution, one of the
nation's most respected think tanks. Much of the material focuses
on economic issues and is based on hard research that supports sustainable
development.
Planetizen
is a fascinating website with ever changing links to the latest
news and links to info about sustainable community planning and
development.
General Plans & Zoning
| The Planning
Commissioners Journal provides a website with excellent
resources for planning commissioners, staff and citizen activists.
General plans zoning codes, land-use policy, sprawl and other
planning issues are covered with current and detailed information.
Some items have limited access for subscribers. |
New Urbanism & Design
The
Congress for the New Urbanism
is devoted to members who are professional planners. Go to "About
CNU" to read their charter, which explains "new urbanism"
and the role it plays in sustainable development. Go the Resources
and then Links
for other excellent websites on urban and community design.
Preserving Agricultural Lands & Open Space
Regional & State Agencies
Association of
Bay Area Governments (regional govt
agency)
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is the regional planning
agency working to help solve problems in areas such as land use,
housing, environmental quality, and economic development. A good
source of data and projections on growth
Local Government Commission
(Non-profit association)
Supports local governments in building livable communities. Extensive
resource site, with info on Community & Urban Design, Economic
Development, Energy, Green Building, Transportation, Waste Prevention,
much more. Also includes events, publications (check them out),
other resources. See also "Center for Livable Communities"
and "Energy Information Clearinghouse".
Smart Growth vs. Sprawl
Smart Growth
Online (resource site)
Links to resources supporting the principles of smart growth and
discussing related issues. Sponsored by the Sustainable Communities
Network.
Sprawl
Watch Clearinghouse (resource site)
Great resources, but difficult-to-use site design. Extensive list
of books, videos, reports, articles & organizations; examples
of best practices, policies; pending legislation and state-by-state
listings of legal decisions, reports, and organizations; plus calendar,
list serve, more.
"Smart
Choices or Sprawling Growth"
(article)
Fifty-state survey on development and sprawl, by the Sierra Club
(Sept 2000).
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American
Dream (book)
by Andres Duany et al. (North Point Press, 2000)
Greenbelt Alliance Protecting
the Bay Area's open space and promoting livable communities
Afordable Housing
The
Green Affordable
Housing Coalition provides a fabulous list of resources, organization,
tools, financing possibilities, fact sheets and case studies about
sustainable, affordable housing and the materials that go into them.
Affordable
Housing Design Advisor points out that design is the key to
affordable housing for the people who live there and the entire
community. It explains what good design is, why it is important,
and how it can be achieved. Also, see their "Demystifying Density."
The
Non Profit
Housing Association of Northern California works to advance
housing as a foundation for thriving individuals, families, and
neighborhoods.
The
Transportation
Land Use Coalition based in the Bay Area is a leading proponent
of affordable housing as part of livable, walkable, transit-oriented
communities.
Green Building
Sonoma
County Waste Management offers suggestions and links for green
building.
The
US Green Building Council is
the leading national organization of builders and contractors working
to build environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places
to live and work.
Sonoma
County Waste Management offers suggestions and links for green building.
Download there guides for New
Home Construction and Home
Remodeling
Pacific
Energy Center is PG&E’s site for detailed information
on energy efficient building design.
Green
Affordable Housing Coalition has an excellent list of green
building resources for all building, not just affordable
Natural
Home Design Magazine list excerpts from past articles of interest
to eco-friendly home builders
Sunlight
Homes provides a good overview of the theory and practice of
sustainable home design.
Green
Development Case Studies (resource
site)
A few favorite projects from Rocky Mountain Institute site, including
Village Homes - Davis CA; Inn of the Anasazi - Santa Fe, New Mexico;
and International Netherlands Group Bank - Amsterdam, Netherlands.
SMARTWOOD
and The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) are non-profit organizations devoted to encouraging the responsible
management of the world's forests. They set high standards that
ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible,
socially beneficial, and economically viable way. They have links
to products and suppliers.
Work on the following site was quashed by
the Schwarzenegger administration as a result of pressure from manufactures
that produce building materials that would not meet the minimum
health and environmental criteria for use in school construction.
The
Environmentally Preferable Products Database from the
California division of the State Architect will serve as an online
resource for owners, architects, and contractors to find building
products that meet a minimum set of environmental and health criteria.
Through a transparent and comprehensive development process, the
State will create EPP screening criteria for a minimum of 20 product
categories, prioritized by total dollars spent and potential environmental
and health impacts.
[We continually add resources to this
site; you may want to check back periodically to see what's new,
or offer your suggestions for additions.]
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