Do Sustainable Cities Have a Future?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

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A "green revolution" is burgeoning in America's cities and towns.

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...heightened interest in hybrid cars and renewed focus on wind farms, solar energy, biofuels, and other renewables; a burgeoning "smart-growth" movement in our states and regions; worry on the health front about sedentary lifestyles, obesity, loss of natural connections; green roofs and strong revival of urban parks; and breakthroughs to pinpoint waste and pollution in our great infrastructure systems, enabled by more sophisticated geographic information system (GIS) technology.

If the new, green, urban alchemy has an epicenter, it's Chicago. Once the embodiment of smoky factories and belching locomotives, the erstwhile City of the Big Shoulders has led the new green wave with beds of flowers and blossoming pots hung from new downtown street lamps.

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Says Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith: "We're creating places people want to be, not places people want to flee." In fact, Chicago has registered America's most dramatic "back-to-the-city" movement, with tens of thousands of new downtown residents.

Cities Taking the Lead

From Philadelphia to Seattle, Boston to San Diego, city officials agree that green urban settings are a critical draw in an era when highly educated, mobile professional workers -- the economic gold of the times -- gravitate to attractive, welcoming, and healthy places.

What's more, claim the apostles of green, property tax yields from homes and apartments near parks are significantly higher. Tree-lined streets alone increase property values some 15 percent.

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The idea is that with less auto dependency and easier access to public transportation and jobs, low-income families will have to spend much less on transportation than they now do (on average, 40 cents of every dollar of income at the poverty line). Fewer workers will be forced into long commutes and even more encouraged to walk, with ricochet benefits in saving energy, reducing obesity, and improving overall health.

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A Local Response to a Global Challenge

The U.S. Conference of Mayors last June voted to call for sharp reductions in fossil fuel use in all buildings -- both for construction as well as heating and cooling. Their stated goal is to make the nation's building stock "carbon-neutral," using no more fuels made from oil, coal or natural gas, by 2030. The stakes are immense: Buildings account for 48 percent of all U.S. energy consumption (well ahead of transportation at 27 percent and industry at 25 percent).

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The idea is to adapt city parks, roadways, lawns, and yards with swales and other systems that can absorb and slowly filter water. The vision: to make all of Philadelphia into a kind of great, green sponge that handles its runoff more naturally and assures clean and reliable water for fishing, swimming, and drinking.

Today's roster of green initiatives knows practically no limits. It includes massive tree replanting efforts; conversion of hundreds of miles of once-industrial urban waterfronts to parks and greenways and millions of acres of protected farmlands and forests; concerted efforts to build green schools in which children learn better; and campaigns to expand locally based agriculture and farmers' markets and decrease the pollution from trucks carrying foods over thousands of miles.

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Out across the nation, there's fast-growing demand for public transit to save energy and transit-oriented development to curb sprawl. The move for major regional rail systems has now reached far beyond New York and Chicago, Boston and San Francisco to traditionally auto-dependent cities like Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Houston, and even Los Angeles.

Terminal Consumption?

Yet however welcome, even startling, the new developments seem, the somber truth is that the great ocean liner U.S.S. Consumption has so far shifted its direction barely a degree. With 4.6 percent of the world's population, the United States continues to burn a quarter of the globe's fossil fuels and to emit 25 percent of its greenhouse gases.

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Single-occupant auto commuting continues to grow, and carpooling and walking keep declining. Notwithstanding the decade-long push for "smart-growth" policies to protect the natural watersheds, the open fields and forests around our towns and cities, any check of existing zoning around the nation shows immense tracts of land zoned for added development.

"You can't deal with sustainability [and] climate change if we insist on covering our open lands with one-, two-, three-acre house plots," notes Robert Yaro, president of the New York-area Regional Plan Association.

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There's growing market acceptance of new green product lines, combined with the rapid growth of new clean technology funds. Green neighborhood and city planning, green water and power systems are on the rise. As a green economy emerges and proves its staying power, the momentum toward change will surely rise.

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Green value sounds and is environmental. But it's so much more. It also stands for connectivity, intelligence, smart systems, and creating a 21st-century world that has a chance of being truly sustainable.

© 2007 by The American Prospect, Inc.

Neal Peirce's weekly column, focused on new developments in states, cities, and regions, is syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group. He is also chairman of the ">Citistates Group, a network of journalists and civic leaders focused on building sustainable 21st-century metropolitan regions.

[Heracles 417]

Maybe it is just me but these cities should be more concerned about a ) reducing crime and B ) cleaning up the visual filth in their city.. Going Green can come after that..

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Edited February 21, 2007 by Infidel

[DeadPoolX 9]

Maybe it is just me but these cities should be more concerned about a ) reducing crime and B ) cleaning up the visual filth in their city.. Going Green can come after that..

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Crime and poverty is there in other international cities...it's just less readily visible. Of course, it all depends what area of town you're in too. Canada, which is generally considered much cleaner and safer than the United States, has some pretty rough areas in some of their cities. Vancouver, for one, has some areas that nobody wants to go into and those particular areas supposedly have some of the highest crime rates, poverty, and rates of HIV infection in North America. Yet, there are many spots in Vancouver that are absolutely fantastic and gorgeous! So it really depends on the exact location within the city, as opposed to saying "this city is crime stricken and this city isn't."

Edited February 21, 2007 by DeadPoolX

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Seriously. I've been to many international cities and non are as scary as the best US city I've been in. (disclaimer: I've never been to Africa, been to Perth though )

[Heracles 417]

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Seriously. I've been to many international cities and non are as scary as the best US city I've been in. (disclaimer: I've never been to Africa, been to Perth though )

Have you heard of that politician in NY who is looking at banning IPODS.. When I heard that my mind nearly exploded. I thought to myself, should you not be looking at things like renovating the 80 year old subway stations or the run down roads in and out of NYC rather than stupid stuff like banning ipods..

Edited February 21, 2007 by Infidel

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Seriously. I've been to many international cities and non are as scary as the best US city I've been in. (disclaimer: I've never been to Africa, been to Perth though )

Have you heard of that politician in NY who is looking at banning IPODS.. When I heard that my mind nearly exploded. I thought to myself, should you not be looking at things like renovating the 80 year old subway stations or the run down roads in and out of NYC rather than stupid stuff like banning ipods..

Very stupid.

[Robor007 0]

Maybe it is just me but these cities should be more concerned about a ) reducing crime and B ) cleaning up the visual filth in their city.. Going Green can come after that..

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

When we were in Puerto Princesa, Palawan (Philippines) for our honeymoon we took a city tour. It was pointed out during the tour that a short while ago the city was very dirty and unsafe (litter and a few kidnappings). The new mayor created more police positions and made it a crime to litter. Littering is punishable by a 200 or 250 peso fine and a day in jail. During the tour one of the tourists tossed a cigarette down, stepped on it, and returned to the van. One of the citizens came up with it in his hand and reported him to our tour guide. It's nice to see people have some pride in their city. A big change when you look alongside a busy intersection here in the US.

[DeadPoolX 9]

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

Seriously. I've been to many international cities and non are as scary as the best US city I've been in. (disclaimer: I've never been to Africa, been to Perth though )

Have you heard of that politician in NY who is looking at banning IPODS.. When I heard that my mind nearly exploded. I thought to myself, should you not be looking at things like renovating the 80 year old subway stations or the run down roads in and out of NYC rather than stupid stuff like banning ipods..

It's an easier (and much less expensive) thing to attempt bannng iPods, versus actually doing something constructive such as renovating subway stations or fixing roads. This is just a measure to make it look like the politicians are actually doing something. Typical.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The iPod thing was actually about banning the use of electronic devices on crosswalks in NYC, because "distraction" apparently causes more accidents. Interesting idea - totally unenforceable..

[peejay 327]

The question should really be...Do Unsustainable Cities Have a Future?

You have to ask yourself how long can rampant suburban sprawl and an economy that cringes at the thought of anything less than thousands of McDonald's, Taco Bells, Walmarts, Exxon Stations, etc., etc. getting thrown up on the landscape every year. Along with the additional people, power plants, and automobiles that goes along with it all.

None of it ever would have been possible without cheap, plentiful oil. And it won't be sustainable without it (or an equal replacement).

[Heracles 417]

Maybe it is just me but these cities should be more concerned about a ) reducing crime and B ) cleaning up the visual filth in their city.. Going Green can come after that..

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

When we were in Puerto Princesa, Palawan (Philippines) for our honeymoon we took a city tour. It was pointed out during the tour that a short while ago the city was very dirty and unsafe (litter and a few kidnappings). The new mayor created more police positions and made it a crime to litter. Littering is punishable by a 200 or 250 peso fine and a day in jail. During the tour one of the tourists tossed a cigarette down, stepped on it, and returned to the van. One of the citizens came up with it in his hand and reported him to our tour guide. It's nice to see people have some pride in their city. A big change when you look alongside a busy intersection here in the US.

To be honest I am sick to death of seeing people throw trash out of their windows here. Or trashing the country in general. I was about to start a punch-on with a gringo the other day because he threw all of his trash out the window and thought it was funny..

Edited February 22, 2007 by Infidel

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Maybe it is just me but these cities should be more concerned about a ) reducing crime and B ) cleaning up the visual filth in their city.. Going Green can come after that..

There should be a mandatory requirement for US mayors and governors to visit other international cities..

When we were in Puerto Princesa, Palawan (Philippines) for our honeymoon we took a city tour. It was pointed out during the tour that a short while ago the city was very dirty and unsafe (litter and a few kidnappings). The new mayor created more police positions and made it a crime to litter. Littering is punishable by a 200 or 250 peso fine and a day in jail. During the tour one of the tourists tossed a cigarette down, stepped on it, and returned to the van. One of the citizens came up with it in his hand and reported him to our tour guide. It's nice to see people have some pride in their city. A big change when you look alongside a busy intersection here in the US.

To be honest I am sick to death of seeing people throw trash out of their windows here. Or trashing the country in general. I was about to start a punch-on with a gringo the other day because he threw all of his trash out the window and thought it was funny..

Moving to Southern California to New Jersey, one of the main things I noticed is that the police are a LOT less active here than they were in LA.

Edited February 22, 2007 by erekose

[Heracles 417]

Littering should be a $500 fine and incrementally increase based on each additional offense..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Littering should be a $500 fine and incrementally increase based on each additional offense..

It is - in CA its $1000 and/or jail. I never saw anyone throw trash out of a window at a freeway exit over there. Not once.

I don't know what they have in New Jersey, but either its not enough of a deterrant or the police just aren't enforcing it.

Edited February 22, 2007 by erekose

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Littering should be a $500 fine and incrementally increase based on each additional offense..

It is - in CA its $1000 and/or jail. I never saw anyone throw trash out of a window at a freeway exit over there. Not once.

I don't know what they have in New Jersey, but either its not enough of a deterrant or the police just aren't enforcing it.

Same here. Although there are parts in downtown LA that are littered with trash - most of which from my observation is fast food packaging.