An Agenda for Sustainable Communities

Abstract

This article summarizes progress toward sustainable communities in the United States since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (or Earth Summit) in 1992. It shows the significant initiative that many communities have undertaken and identifies existing state and federal laws as impediments to achieving sustainability. This article also makes recommendations for further progress based on what we have already learned about how to achieve sustainable communities. They include not only more and strengthened sustainable community efforts, and broad state and federal legal support, but also deep engagement of all affected citizens. This article is based primarily on three separate assessments of U.S. sustainable development efforts since 1992, including Agenda for a Sustainable America (2009).

Keywords: sustainable development, sustainable communities, climate change, brownfield redevelopment, land use, transportation, sprawl, civil society, governance, education

JEL Classification: Q01, Q2, Q28, Q3, Q38, Q48, Q54, O2, O22