How can we build
our homes and communities so that they co-exist harmoniously with
Nature? What does it mean to create a sustainable house, a sustainable
community, a sustainable city? For each additional day that we
live, design and build unsustainably, we pull another fibre out
of the fabric of Earth’s ecosystems.
15 WAYS TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY
Sunshine Coast "Building a Sustainable Economy" conference, September 1999
Build a long-term community-wide vision.
Participation, schools, media, the Internet.
Educate people about sustainability and livability.
Sprawl, global warming, resource-use, species loss, dissipation of community, vision.
Set goals and management plans for livability and sustainability. Write them into Mission Statements, OCPs and Regional Plans.
Establish sustainability indicators - salmon, creek restoration, water quality, listed species (eg herons), greenways, travel mode split, C02 emissions, recycling, houses within 5' walk of shops. Also community & livability indicators.
Create an ecological atlas, starting from aerial photos.
Establish growth boundaries for all settlement areas.
Plan long-distance greenways for hiking and cycling.
Monitor and improve all new development proposals. Sustainability report cards & checklists.
Set up local stewardship associations for every area, to nourish, conserve & protect.
Establish local clusters of 25 houses, for greater resilience & participation.
