Sustainable Community Planning and Development

Self Cite

Achieving sustainability goals is complex and requires policy coherence; yet effective action for structural change has been elusive partly because global issues must be primarily addressed locally. Agreements such as the UN Global Goals and the New Urban Agenda and current pressing problems such as the 2020 pandemic demonstrate that it is impossible to tackle global socio-ecological system issues without addressing urban vulnerabilities and consumption models. This article presents a critical review of theoretical roots, conceptual influences, major debates, limitations, and current trends in community and urban sustainability. Broader sustainability theories and intellectual traditions of the last two centuries have shaped current urban agendas, most of which however do not cater to a systemic approach and may lead to policies that do not integrate all three pillars of sustainability. While cities are challenged by the difficulties of addressing multiple objectives, meaningfully engaging citizens, and consistently tracking progress, the limitations of urban sustainability application can lead to lost opportunities, lack of credibility, and increased public skepticism. Fundamental changes are required in local decision-making and citizen mobilization to move from current piecemeal approaches towards long-lasting urban sustainability and successful implementation of global goals.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Sustainability: From Theory Influences to Practical Agendas

Spiliotopoulou

Roseland

2020

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“…However, it also includes defining characteristics such as social justice via citizen empowerment, ecological stewardship, and economic self-reliance via diversification [54,55]. For Roseland and Spiliotopoulou [56], a sustainable community adheres to traditional definitions of sustainability by being able to meet the social and economic needs of its residents, while protecting the natural environment that supports it. Bridger and Luloff [45] took this a step further by suggesting that, not only does a balance between environmental and development objectives need to be achieved, but a sustainable community promotes "humane local societies."…”

Section: A Framework For Sustainable Community Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For Magis [65], community resilience is achieved by thriving amidst change, and thus, resiliency is an indicator of social sustainability. Ultimately, sustainable community development is about finding a middle ground where community resilience is achieved through investments in five capitals (human, social, built, natural, and economic) [56,57]. Arising in the 1990s, the concept of multiple capitals [66] is based on the idea that, in order to be sustainable, it is not possible to build one set of capital stocks at the expense of another [67].…”

Section: A Framework For Sustainable Community Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Arising in the 1990s, the concept of multiple capitals [66] is based on the idea that, in order to be sustainable, it is not possible to build one set of capital stocks at the expense of another [67]. Thus, to be sustainable, communities must mobilize citizens to strengthen their community capital(s) [56], while being staunch stewards of natural capital stocks. Human capital includes the skills and knowledge necessary for community members to maintain an acceptable standard of living, while social capital relates to the relationships and trust built among community members that helps facilitate cooperative decision making.…”

Section: A Framework For Sustainable Community Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Embedded in Nature: Challenges to Sustainability in Communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Bergstrom

Harrington

2019

Solutions to sustainability transitions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Limitations on what may be sustained also exist, and preferences will vary among people in different places. Because of these differences, there is a need for better understanding of the perceptions and experiences of local community members and the challenges they face in the transition toward sustainability to promote realistic and effective decision-making. As a region with significant natural resource protections, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been known to researchers for decades as an ideal location to study human-environment interactions. The objective of this study was to determine the challenges to sustainable community development and natural resource management identified by residents of communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Thirty-two key informant interviews were conducted with decision-makers, with a focus on the communities of Red Lodge and West Yellowstone, Montana, and Jackson, Wyoming. Findings suggest that primary challenges include the seasonality of the tourist industry, disparities between agricultural and tourism-dependent priorities, and the implementation of stated sustainability goals. Challenges differ based on communities’ socio-economic conditions, dependence on tourism and recreation-based industries, and the influence of local and extra-local institutions.

“…Community development has always been an important issue and has been discussed from various angles, such as local development [1,2] and poverty reduction [3,4], and there have been various approaches to community development [5,6]. Many studies have linked it with sustainability and sustainable development, due to the fact that the goal of community development is to ensure that a community develops continuously in social, economic, and environmental dimensions [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Application of Sustainable Development in Indigenous People’s Revival: The History of an Indigenous Tribe’s Struggle in Taiwan

2018

Community development is seen as a crucial factor to realize sustainable development and vice versa, and for indigenous peoples in particular due to their associations with nature and natural resources. However, historical exploitation of indigenous peoples has resulted in their underachievement worldwide. The popularization of the concept of sustainable development followed a series of international treaties and conventions that shed light on indigenous peoples’ revival. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s notion of the power-knowledge relationship, this article uses a case study of an indigenous tribe, the Smangus in Taiwan, to demonstrate how a politically, socially and economically disadvantaged community incorporates their traditional norms and customs into the notion of sustainable development and reinterprets it to adapt the community’s conditions. By re-uniting the community and establishing a cooperative organization, the community has revived cohesion in their community. The community’s conduct is investigated through the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030, and the article illustrates how it fulfils three Targets and the extent to which they are fulfilled. To conclude, Smangus’ case remind us of the importance of achieving sustainable development goals on micro- and local levels, and the value of empowering local communities to pursue their own sustainable development goals according to their circumstances. This article ends with suggestions for future research, and suggests that more studies using such a bottom-up approach to sustainable development would help to accumulate knowledge and experiences to establish a pattern of success to help other disadvantaged communities, draw focus to the need to bridge the policy gaps between the United Nations and local communities, and recall attention to the role of micro- and local communities to achieve sustainable development goals.