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National Civic Review_Civics of Sustainability Articles Featuring DubuqueMasterpiece on the Mississippi TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: National Civic Review - Sustainability Issue DATE: November 9, 2010 Dubuque heil M- Amedcacity 2007 Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is transmitting information from the Fall 2010 special issue of National Civic Review on the Civics of Sustainability, which includes an article written by Laura entitled "Defining, Inspiring, and Implementing Sustainability." MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager 7I ,7____ C. Van Micha Milligen TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: Attachment Masterpiece on the Mississippi Michael Van Milligen, City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager National Civic Review — Sustainability Issue November 2, 2010 Dubuque hitod AMlmdicaClly ' 2007 I am pleased to transmit a copy of the Fall 2010 special issue of National Civic Review on The Civics of Sustainability. I had the opportunity to contribute an article to this issue on the Sustainable Dubuque Plan, entitled "Defining, Inspiring, and Implementing Sustainability ". Dubuque's leadership in civics and sustainability are recognized in the Note from the Editor, Mike McGrath, with the National League of Cities, which publishes the National Civic Review and awards the All- America City designations annually. Dubuque is also recognized in the opening essay, "The Civics of Sustainability: An Overview" by Joel Mills. Joel is the director of the AIA Center for Communities by Design, which runs the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program. cc: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator Planning Services staff Special Issue THE CIVICS OF SUSTAINABILITY JOEL MILLS The Civics of Sustainability: An Overview ASHLY ANDERSON, JOANNE FIEBE, EVAN JOHNSON, TARYN SABIA Optimism and a Thousand Charrettes LAURA CARSTENS Defining, Inspiring, and Implementing Sustainability N C Re viei A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E N A T I O N A L C I V I C L E A G U E A N D J D S S E Y B A S S Defining, Inspiring, and Implementing Sustainability Situated in a beautiful, natural location along the Mississippi River, Dubuque is distinctive because of its steep hills and river bluffs — geographic features that many people do not expect to find in Iowa. Dubuque has been gaining recognition as a leader in the sustainability movement, another unexpected attribute of this town of sixty thousand. Located where Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois meet, Dubuque is Iowa's oldest city. It is the regional cen- ter for commerce, industry, education, and culture. Our community now takes pride in the slogan "Mas- terpiece on the Mississippi," but this wasn't always the case. In the 1980s, Dubuque had double -digit unem- ployment, declining population, vacant storefronts, and deteriorating neighborhoods. A billboard pro- claimed: "Would the last person to leave Dubuque please turn off the lights ?" In the face of decline, community leaders from the private and public sectors came together in four community- visioning efforts over the past twenty years that helped change Dubuque. These leaders focused on grassroots efforts to address planned and managed growth, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, riverfront redevelopment, economic growth, and diversity so as to become a sustainable, green community. With this transformation, Dubuque is poised for a leadership role in the sustainability movement. Sus- tainability is often equated with being "green" and the triple bottom line of people, profit, and planet. As a city planner, I believe that sustainability is good environmental planning; think of your community as an ecosystem, where everything is connected to everything else. This is the approach that the City of Dubuque undertook in 1990 -1995, as we engaged the com- munity in a visioning process and then defined a comprehensive plan linking aspects of the commu- BY LAURA CARSTENS nity often not discussed in a city master plan or re- lated to one another through a community engage- ment process— before smart growth and sustainabil- ity became national buzzwords. The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan looks at the city as a whole and the surrounding region, with a policy statement, goals, and objectives established for the physical, economic, and social environments of the community. Since 1995, the plan has reflected the three principles of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social equity needs. The plan consists of fourteen elements. The physical environment includes the elements of land use and urban design, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental quality. The economic environment includes the city's fiscal and economic development elements. Unlike many city master plans, Dubuque's also includes the social environment, encompassing nontraditional elements such as health, housing, hu- man services, education, cultural arts, recreation, public safety, and diversity. Each element includes a policy statement, followed by goals, and then objectives for each goal. The goals and objectives are broad in scope; specific pro- grams, sites, or projects generally are not found in the plan. In creating the plan and its subsequent up- dates in 2002 and 2008, we have engaged the public through comment sessions, focus group meetings, open houses, displays, and public hearings. The city's commitment to sustainability has led to greater awareness of this environmental planning approach. People have more understanding that our community is like an ecosystem, where everything is truly linked to everything else. Defining Sustainability: Dubuque's Approach Defining sustainability at the community level can be accomplished in any number of ways, and the definitions vary from city to city. These definitions generally reflect three components: social, economic, © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) National Civic Review • DOI: 10.1002/ncr.20024 • Fall 2010 11 12 and environmental. A common definition is from the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development: the ability of a community to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Another is the long -term, seventh - generation view of the Iro- quois Nation• making decisions based on how they will affect not only our generation but also seven generations to come. In 2006, the Dubuque City Council identified sus - tainability as one of its top priorities. From here, the mayor and city council might simply have defined sustainability for the community. Instead, they cre- ated the Sustainable City Task Force in 2007 to help develop a vision statement and principles that would further define the sustainability initiative through community involvement and input. The task force comprised representatives from local government, schools, utility companies, religious or- ganizations, neighborhood associations, youth orga- nizations, nonprofits, environmental organizations, and business stakeholders. The city hired a local firm to work with city staff and the task force. The task' force met regularly for two years to develop a pro- cess to get input from the citizens of Dubuque about what is important to them and what sustainable ini- tiatives they would like to see incorporated into a vision statement and strategic document. National Civic Review Figure 1. The Three Pillars of Sustainable Dubuque D01: 10.1002 /ncr In 2007, 150 community members participated in stakeholder meetings to discuss targeted vi- sions and ideas. More than twenty presenta- tions were made to community organizations to gather input. The meetings were organized into small business, business associations, and retail- ers; developers and lenders; nonprofit organizations; large business, industry, utilities, and the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation; institutions, health care, and religious; and transportation orga- nizations. There was also a meeting for the general public. In addition to public meetings, more than 860 com- munity surveys were collected in 2007. The survey results, along with other data compiled by the task force, were used to help guide development of the sustainability vision statement and guiding princi- ples. Specific strategies and action steps to imple- ment sustainable initiatives were also explored. The Sustainable Dubuque model has three pillars of sus - tainability, as seen in Figure 1. The vision statement for Sustainable Dubuque was developed at the grassroots level and adopted by the city council. It is that Dubuque is a viable, livable, and equitable community. We embrace economic prosperity, social and cultural vibrancy, and envi- ronmental integrity to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come. Economic Prosperity Environmental and Ecological Integrity Viable Livable Social and Cultural Equitable Vibrancy Fall 2010 This vision statement is supported by eleven key sus- tainability principles identified by Dubuque citizens. These principles are not new, and many examples al- ready exist in our community. They are part of the community values that our citizens want to preserve and leave for future generations. These eleven prin- ciples are organized here according to Dubuque's three -part sustainability model. Environmental Integrity • Healthy air: Dubuque is a community that val- ues fresh, clean air; reduced greenhouse gas emis- sions; and minimized health risks. • Clean water: Dubuque is a community that values water as the source of life and seeks to preserve and manage it in all forms. • Native plants and animals: Dubuque is a com- munity that values biodiversity through preserva- tion, restoration, and connection of nature and people. Economic Prosperity • Regional economy: Dubuque is a community that values a diversified regional economy with oppor- tunities for new and green markets, jobs, prod-. ucts, and services. • Smart energy use: Dubuque is a community that values energy conservation and expanded use of renewable energy as a means to save money and protect the environment. • Resource management: Dubuque is a community that values the benefits of reducing, reusing, and recycling resources. • Community design: Dubuque is a community that values the built environment of the past, present, and future, which contributes to its identity, her- itage, and sense of place. Social and Cultural Vibrancy • Green buildings: Dubuque is a community that values a productive and healthy built environ- ment. • Healthy local foods: Dubuque is a community that values the benefits of wholesome food from local producers, distributors, farms, gardens, and hunters. National Civic Review • Community knowledge: Dubuque is a commu- nity that values education, empowerment, and engagement to achieve economic prosperity, en- vironmental integrity, and social and cultural vi- brancy. • Reasonable mobility: Dubuque is a community that values safe, reasonable, and equitable choices to access living, work, and play opportunities. Inspiring Sustainability: Dubuque's Approach The City of Dubuque cannot lead the commu- nity's sustainability movement alone. Our partners, the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, have formed Dubuque 2.0 to conduct a community dia- logue on making sustainability sustainable, seeking to create jobs and save individuals and businesses money. Dubuque 2.0 is a venue to present sustainable ideas, share best practices, and measure results from the community's sustainability efforts. It is also a pro- cess that encourages public - private partnerships to shape our community's future. With this initiative, Dubuque is taking a unique ap- proach by supplying our residents and businesses with the tools and information necessary to mea- sure and manage their use of resources. With this knowledge, people can make educated choices to change behavior, reducing their costs and identify- ing long - lasting sustainable opportunities. Dubuque 2.0 builds on the city's sustainability plan to make our community economically prosperous as well as socially and culturally vibrant, and to improve our environmental integrity. It centers on community engagement with businesses, schools, nonprofits, and neighborhoods in a comprehensive sustainability process. Dubuque 2.0 presents oppor- tunities to learn about sustainability and change be- havior. This initiative seeks to help people and busi- nesses save money and resources, open new markets and improve competitiveness, and reduce our impact on the planet. Implementing Sustainability: Dubuque's Approach Since 2006, the City of Dubuque and its partners have undertaken numerous projects to help imple- ment sustainability as a priority: D01: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 13 14 • Hiring a sustainability coordinator • Creating and hosting an annual Growing Sustain- able Communities Conference • Creating an asset map of sustainable initiatives in the community • Adopting the Sustainable Dubuque model • Developing a green pledge card, partnering with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Of- fice of Sustainability • Partnering with IBM to become the first Smarter Sustainable City in North America • More initiatives are listed on the website (www.sustainabledubuque.org). In addition to these projects and initiatives, which are part of the Sustainable Dubuque initiative, im- plementing sustainability at the community level also involves moving forward with plans. As a city planner, I believe that sustainability is sound urban planning. Planners tend to take a broad and long - range view, considering the interrelatedness of the components of the big picture. All planning deci- sions should be assessed or based on all three sus- tainability elements. Progress in only one area to the detriment of the others is not fundamentally sustainable. Implementing sustainability at the community level means that you must plan for sustainability by in- corporating sustainability principles into plans, poli- cies, codes, and guidelines. In doing so, you'll over- come challenges in a sustainable, balanced, inte- grated way, translating vision into action. Here are a few examples of how Dubuque is implementing a sustainable vision. Sustainable Design In 2007 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design selected Dubuque to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) pro- gram. SDAT is AIA's community assistance program focusing on the principles of sustainability. The col- laborative SDAT program brings together teams of volunteer professionals (architects, urban designers, planners, and others) to work with community deci- sion makers and stakeholders to help them develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future, fur- nish a roadmap for communities seeking to improve National Civic Review Implementing sustainability at the community level means that you must plan for sustainability by incorporating sustainability principles into plans, policies, codes, and guidelines. their sustainability, and achieve balance among cul- tural, environmental, and economic systems. The Dubuque SDAT conference in 2007 focused on five major land use and urban design issues: • Urban sprawl versus planned and managed growth • Bluff development versus preservation • Stormwater runoff versus management • Traditional development versus sustainable de- sign • Neighborhood disinvestment versus neighbor- hood revitalization Community members worked with national SDAT volunteer consultants to identify ways to achieve economic prosperity, ecological integrity, and social equity. In 2009, the Dubuque SDAT Report was incorpo- rated into the Sustainable Dubuque Plan as well as the city's new Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC combined and updated the city's zoning, subdivision, site development, and historic preserva- tion regulations. Although traditional development is still allowed, it is now the exception. Subdivision and site development regulations have been exten- sively revised to promote sustainable measures, such as conservation subdivision design, solar access, low- impact development, and accommodations for pedestrians, bicycles, and public transit. Historic Millwork District In 2009, the National Trust's Office of Sustainability selected Dubuque, Iowa, and Seattle, Washington, to participate in a Preservation Green Lab demon- stration project. This project has at the heart of its mission the concept that the embodied energy (en- ergy previously used to create a product or building) found in historic structures needs to be at the heart of a city's sustainability strategy. The Preservation Green Lab in Dubuque will focus on the Historic D0l: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 Millwork District and uniting historic preservation standards with smart energy systems for adaptive building reuse. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Historic Millwork District was one of the largest millwork - ing concentrations in the nation. There were dozens of companies, with some twenty -five hundred jobs. Most industries closed in the 1960s and 1970s, however, and the area has sat largely vacant since then. Today, the Historic Millwork District is seventeen blocks of brick warehouses with more than a mil- lion square feet of vacant space; streets with his- toric pavers, gravel, and railroad tracks down the center; active millworking and metalworking indus- tries; and limited off - street parking or green space. An elevated freeway and railroad tracks on the east and south now separate the Historic Millwork Dis- trict from the Mississippi Riverfront and the Port of Dubuque, a $400 million brownfield redevel- opment of entertainment, office, and commercial uses. Downtown lies to the east. To the north is the Washington Neighborhood, a low-to- moderate- income neighborhood with the city's oldest housing, the highest percentages of rental properties and mi- norities, and the lowest property values. Despite these barriers and challenges, we have a vision of sustainable development for the historic district. The vision found in the 2009 Historic Millwork District Master Plan is for "a com- munity reconnected with surrounding neighbor- hoods, reenergized with housing, retail, offices, galleries, entertainment, and employment, and re- imagined as a laboratory for sustainable practices and technologies." The planning process engaged a twenty-two - member project steering committee, along with city officials, city staff, property and business owners, neighborhood representatives, a grassroots group advocating for district revitalization, artists and preservationists, and the general public. Use of vi- suals with multiple focus groups and public input meetings to supply information, share ideas, and give feedback characterized the planning process. In addition to the master plan, an economic feasibility and market study was conducted as a reality check National Civic Review on the plan's recommendations and to identify mar- ket demand. Implementation of the Historic Millwork District Master Plan has begun, with completion of a Dis- trict Energy System Feasibility Study; design of streets, utilities, and streetscape improvements that balance Complete Streets accessibility with historic preservation; and adoption of Architectural Design Guidelines and a Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance with custom zoning and sustainable de- velopment regulations. The Historic Millwork District Master Plan incorpo- rates the sound principles of environmental planning and urban planning as a model sustainable district. The framework on the master plan is organized into five infrastructure systems, or layers. These urban ecosystems are water, energy, development, vege- tation and open space, and arts and culture. Each infrastructure system sets forth goals and objectives for district revitalization and sustainability. Blue Infrastructure: Water. Water consists of rain and stormwater, wastewater, and domestic water. The overall goals of the blue infrastructure are to im- prove water quality, reduce reliance on water sup- ply and wastewater management systems, manage stormwater locally, and reduce the district's "water footprint" (similar to a community's carbon foot- print). Orange Infrastructure: Energy. Energy includes the electrical, heating, and cooling infrastructure. The overall goals of the orange infrastructure are to re- duce per capita energy consumption; enhance effi- cient electrical and HVAC systems that minimize the district's carbon footprint; and create and use locally available, alternative, and renewable en- ergy sources. Possible options are being evaluated: re- creating the historic districtwide heating and cooling system, producing onsite energy, and moni- toring energy use. Gray Infrastructure: Development. Development con- sists of buildings, parking, streets, and other redevel- opment. The overall goals of the gray infrastructure are to use the embodied energy of historic buildings, preserve historic significance, increase the pedestrian experience, create better access to other districts, D01: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 15 16 organize land use patterns to cluster complementary land uses, find creative parking solutions, and foster opportunities for new construction —all at minimal environmental cost. Green Infrastructure: Vegetation and Open Space. Veg- etation and open space includes vegetation, parks, and open space. The overall goal of the green in- frastructure is to create strategic locations for open space, pervious places, gardens, and recreation ar- eas. These green spaces may be developed as private outdoor space on rooftops and in courtyards, and as public space in green corridors. Red Infrastructure: Arts and Culture. Arts and culture consists of arts and cultural spaces, amenities, and expressions that reinforce the area's identity. The overall goals of the red infrastructure are to nur- ture the arts community in the district, collaborate and encourage expression of historical and cultural identity, and create a sense of place (art can be ev- erywhere, and architecture is art). In addition to these integrated strategies, strong partnerships and cooperation between the public and private sectors form the cornerstone for the Historic Millwork District. The strategic partners include private property owners; city, state, and fed- eral governments; downtown development organi- zation; economic development corporation; and the chamber of commerce. Additional partners are lo- cal grassroots advocates for sustainability, arts and culture, and historic preservation; nonprofits; the community foundation; AIA Communities by De- sign; public utilities; and area colleges and univer- National Civic Review sities. National partners are the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Office of Sustainability, the International Council for Local Environmental Ini- tiatives (ICLEI), and IBM's Smarter Sustainable City initiative. So, what are the factors contributing to a successful sustainability initiative in Dubuque? First, critical to success is a strong and committed leadership that makes sustainability a community priority. Without the leadership of the mayor and city council, a plan cannot take root. Second, developing long- standing strategic partner- ships is important for integrating the various eco- nomic, environmental, and social elements of our sustainability plan. Third, community engagement at all stages — visioning, planning, and implementation —is neces- sary for the sustainability plan to reflect the desires and views of the citizens. A top -down approach will not educate or empower our residents and busi- nesses. Finally, integrated strategies for planning and im- plementation require communication, feedback, and knowledge. Inspiring sustainability must reach be- yond city hall to employers, schools, neighborhoods, and individuals to change behavior. Laura Carstens has been planning services manager for the City of Dubuque, Iowa, since 1989. D01: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 2 Note from the Editor As Joel Mills writes in his article in this special issue of the National Civic Review, there is a strong connection between civic capacity and the ability of communities to address the is- sue of sustainability. Sustainability requires planning, consen- sus building, and continuity of effort. Don't get me wrong; there are a lot of win -wins in successful efforts to make communi- ties more sustainable. But let's not kid ourselves into believing that addressing one of the biggest challenges we face can be successful without building on the civic capacities we already possess. I was not surprised to discover that six of the eleven communi- ties recognized for their sustainability efforts are past or present winners of the All- America City Award. El Paso, Texas, which Derek Okubo describes in his article on sustainability, was a win- ner of the award this year. Interestingly, the impressive strides the city has made in going green were not even listed as one of the three community projects in El Paso's award application. Civic engagement (or more specifically, neighborhood organiz- ing) was one of the projects. In El Paso, some neighborhoods did not have their own association, so city government went out of its way to help them organize. They were self - consciously build- ing civic capacity. To put it slightly differently, elected officials and city staff members went out of their way to help neighbor- hoods organize themselves so they can come down to city hall and demand their fair share of municipal services. You don't see that every day, but you do see it more and more, as leaders recognize the importance of entering into a two -way conversation with ordinary residents. Talk is cheap, but talk and action together are priceless. Consider Dubuque, Iowa, the sub- ject of Laura Carstens's article in this issue. Dubuque was one of the stars of the 2007 All- America City Awards. In their ap- plication, they highlighted efforts to reconnect residents with the city's once - neglected waterfront area. Not too long ago, the Port of Dubuque was "an area plagued by environmental issues, undervalued property, a mix of heavy industrial uses alongside recreational uses such as a museum and river tours," noted the writers of Dubuque's application. It was the "epitome of a brownfield environment." Revitalizing the waterfront, connecting people to it, was one of the objectives developed by thousands of area residents in the first of several public visioning processes the community © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) National Civic Review • D01: 10.1002 /ncr.20031 • Fall 2010 undertook over a period of years. The America's River Project now sports nature trails and a freshwater museum to educate visitors about the ecology of the Mississippi basin. But the city has also made impressive strides in improving its economic en- vironment and revitalizing its downtown area. "It all started in the 1980s, when people decided we had reached the bottom and collectively wanted to make it a bet- ter community," said Mayor Roy Buol in an interview I did with him two years ago. "The new Dubuque, that's what I call it. Peo- ple really bought into the idea. There was a common desire to better the community and make it a place where everybody has opportunities, a place people want to come to, and when they do come, to stay." Readers of this publication know that the National Civic League puts high value on civic capacity, which communities such as El Paso and Dubuque seem to have in abundance. We have developed tools such as the Civic Index to help communities think about their own capacities. We emphasize the importance of these ideas in the application for the All- America City Award and in the technical assistance we offer through our Community Services program. At the level of national politics, as Joel Mills points out, Americans are deeply divided over environmental issues. Some —in fact a good many —even doubt the veracity of a pretty clear consensus among climate scientists that the earth is warm- ing. Division and mistrust breeds confusion, which explains why information sharing is a critical element of civic capacity. The ability to speak directly and openly about the nature of our challenges and the trade -offs we face as communities is an important strength to be nurtured and developed. If there is hope for the country, it lies in the ability of ordinary people to come together at the neighborhood or community level and discuss the issues in ways that are respectful, illuminating, and empowering. We hope this issue of the National Civic Review can become part of the conversation. We thank Joel Mills, the American In- stitute of Architects, and the institute's Center for Communities by Design for support in making this issue of NCR a reality. Michael McGrath Editor The Civics of Sustainability An Overview For those working in the field of community sustain- ability, reading the news these days might seem de- pressing. The challenges are dramatic. On April 20, 2010, the explosion of a British Petroleum oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico ignited what is now the worst environmental catastrophe in our nation's history, with estimates of the scope of the oil spill reach- ing as high as sixty thousand barrels per day. The Gulf crisis has highlighted America's continuing de- pendence on oil, and our ever - expanding carbon footprint. Currently, even the most energy- conscious Americans have twice the carbon footprint as the average global citizen. The United States comprises about 4 percent of the earth's population but emits about 25 percent of the total global greenhouse gases. In contrast to China, the United States emits more than seven times as much per person. And compared to India, Americans produce more than twenty times as much per capita. Patterns in consumption and energy use have been trending negative over the long run. Total U.S. emis- sions have risen by approximately 14 percent in the last twenty years. Most projections lead us to the conclusion that an ever - expanding population will continue to fuel this trend, exacerbating al- ready strained resources. The nation's population reached 300 million in 2006, and it is projected to hit 350 million by 2025. Expansive land use policies and continued growth will put severe pressure on our ability to decrease our carbon footprint and adapt to a changing climate. Our nation's condition is fragile by most estimates. In perhaps the most disturbing development, recent studies reveal that the American public doesn't grasp the severity of the challenges faced today. A recent Gallup poll revealed that 48 percent of Americans believe the threat of global warming is an exagger- ated claim; the poll registered the highest percentage of doubters in the thirteen years the organization has been asking the question. BY JOEL MILLS Addressing the growing urgency of climate change and national renewal will require substantial in- novation and adaptation at the regional and local levels. At the local level, municipalities across the country have begun mobilizing to meet the chal- lenge. To date, 1,042 municipalities have signed on to the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protec- tion Agreement. With more than 81 percent of the U.S. population, cities and metropolitan regions will have a central place in strategies addressing climate change on an effective scale. In recent years, the level of interest in applying new tools to meet our challenges has grown dramatically in the public sec- tor. In February 2009 a broad partnership launched Sustainable New Jersey as a voluntary certification program for the state's municipalities seeking to develop strategies for long -term sustainability. By August of that year, 214 municipalities across the state had signed on to the program. In May 2009, Living Cities released a report that found four out of five big cities now ranking sustainability as a top - five issue. There is little doubt that sustainability has come of age. The Sustainability Paradigm In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commis- sion offered what may be the definitive explanation of the term: "Sustainable development is develop- ment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." However, given sustainabil- ity's broad meaning, it has been subject to a range of interpretations. In recent years, the term sustain - ability has been widely adopted by both the public and private sectors. In fact, it is so overused that it has given birth to a new lexicon, with words such as "greenwashing" (on the model of "whitewashing ") gaining currency to describe the many attempts to co -opt the issue. This edition of the National Civic Review is orga- nized as a survey of community sustainability. It represents a compilation of diverse community ex- periences that focus on how a range of successful © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) National Civic Review • DOI: 10.1002/ncr.20022 • Fall 2010 3 4 strategies are being applied in community settings and on various scales, from neighborhoods and cities to regions. Each place featured in this edi- tion demonstrates how communities are addressing sustainability within their own context, and each of them has defined its sustainable vision and goals through a unique community narrative. In particu- lar, these cases feature some examples highlighting the critical connection between building civic capac- ity and achieving success toward becoming a more sustainable place. Despite the negative tone of the national news cy- cle, there are profoundly positive stories developing under the radar, at the local level. The Importance of Civic Capacity • Since 2005, the Center for Communities by De- sign has engaged in pro bono technical assistance projects on sustainability issues with more than forty communities. One of the common state- ments we hear from communities illustrates the challenge facing local jurisdictions today: "We don't need another plan. We have plans —they all sit on the shelves. We need an implementa- tion strategy." The simple fact is that many com- munities are struggling to put in place effective structures and processes to achieve success. In some places, the politicized nature of public di- alogue is driving apathy and conflict, preclud- ing development of effective partnership and col- laboration. Therefore, civic capacity —the ability to leverage all of the collective resources avail- able in a given community toward achievement of public work —is at the heart of any inquiry about today's success stories. Despite the nega- tive tone of the national news cycle, we've found through our work that there are profoundly pos- itive stories developing under the radar, at the local level. These stories have gone largely unno- ticed, but many of them offer us unique insights into the opportunities we have to engage in trans - formative change. In these places, the focus is not only on what gets done but more important how it is done. How can a small city of only sixty thousand residents, like Dubuque, Iowa, leverage National Civic Review its limited resources to become an All- America City and a national model for preservation and sustainability? • How can a modest rural town such as Greensburg, Kansas, not only recover from a dev- astating tornado but position itself as a national leader in sustainable development, such that two presidents have referred to it as a model for others? • How are established communities that have un- dergone transformative revitalization in previous eras, such as Chattanooga, Tennessee, redefining their processes for modern challenges and devel- oping the next generation of leadership and sus- tainable community enterprise? These communities all have great stories to share. In Philadelphia, civic leaders have convened the com- munity to build a grand civic vision for their wa- terfront. In Los Angeles, a youthful movement of "creatives" and professionals is producing exciting new opportunities for a downtown that was long since considered extinct after enduring the negative impact of decades of city sprawl. In Tampa, a group of design professionals formed the Urban Charrette, an organization dedicated to engaging the commu- nity in a common conversation about sustainability. In Chattanooga, a new generation of civic leader- ship is redefining the "Chattanooga process" for the twenty-first century. Collectively, these narra- tives offer an illustrative group of potential mod- els and approaches for the rest of us. In accom- plishing bold, context - specific goals, they have also produced remarkable similarities in how they ap- proach public work, and as a group they hold criti- cal value for other communities and partners in the field. These communities excel in their ability to engage the whole community in public work, identify com- mon purpose, and build vibrant partnerships for suc- cess. The numbers alone speak volumes about their capacity: • Greensburg, Kansas, engaged hundreds of people in a town of fewer than fifteen hundred. • Philadelphia engaged more than four thousand residents in its development of a Civic Vision for the Delaware Waterfront. D0l: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 • Envision Utah involved more than eighteen thou- sand participants in a two -year regional planning process. • Chattanooga Stand attracted more than twenty - six thousand residents in the "largest survey - based visioning campaign" in the world. These communities apply a variety of engagement techniques and formats to produce remarkably sup- portive public processes. Public involvement tools varied from online engagement to in- person engage- ment, from public workshops and presentations to surveys and summits —and those are just the exam- ples from one community profiled here. The abil- ity to supply a range of access points and a broad platform for participation enhances their ability to leverage cross - sector partnerships for success. These community processes stress the civic realm over the political realm. They are able to transcend conven- tional roles and dependency on the public sector by forming broad - based, cross - sector approaches to common issues. In each case, civic efforts held more weight than purely political or governmental responses to the challenge at hand. As a result, they involved a broad approach to community problem solving that leveraged a variety of local resources and assets: • In Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque 2.0 was formed as a process to help forge public - private partnerships to build the community's future. • In Chattanooga, a coalition of nonprofit leaders and citizens wanting to engage the community in a broad visioning process created Chattanooga Stand. • In the Salt Lake City region, Envision Utah was formed to lead a regional visioning process in- volving many jurisdictions in discussion of long- term growth strategies. Keys to Success A common caveat we hear from communities demonstrates the challenge for localities: "Things are different here. What works other places won't necessarily work here. Things are difficult here. We have some unique challenges." Each community has its own sense of exceptionalism in confronting sus - tainability issues. Local context is always important, but as these communities illustrate there are also some common ingredients for success. National Civic Review It takes a vision. As the proverb tell us, "without a vi- sion, the people perish." Successful communities are defining collective visions of their future, and work- ing together deliberatively to realize those visions. All of the communities involved in this edition have engaged in some form of visioning as a preliminary step in doing public work. Philadelphia has a proud claim to being the original city of grand visions. To- day, it is renewing that tradition through comple- tion of the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware. The city's Great Expectations process leading up to its last mayoral election demonstrates the power of public processes in framing a city agenda that tran- scends politics. Dubuque has won a host of awards and received considerable national recognition for leveraging its historic assets to create a model sus- tainable district. The process was driven by the vi- sioning and planning work the community engaged in over a two -year period, and it continues to em- power stakeholders through phases of implementa- tion. Envision Utah formed to help shape a series of growth scenarios for the Salt Lake region, and it has since expanded the work to other regions in the state, taking its visioning and scenario - building framework to a larger scale. Greensburg has rede- fined its community identity and set forth a bold new direction for itself that is grounded in sustain- able principles. Process and partnerships lie at the center of com- munity success. • Process and partnerships lie at the center of com- munity success. Successful communities recognize that sustainability is a communitywide endeavor, and they mobilize all of their existing assets in pursuit of public work. These communities have the capacity to build novel partnerships, con- vene broad -based stakeholders, and involve insti- tutions in cross - sector collaborations to achieve success. They are adept at employing a range of public processes to identify key partnerships for implementation. The Dubuque 2.0 process was designed as a deliberate attempt to create a plat- form for public - private partnerships, and the city has been successful in partnering with local and national organizations to implement the commu- nity's agenda. • D01: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010 5 6 • The Chattanooga Stand process engaged twenty - six thousand residents in visioning surveys, using partnerships with local research partners to ana- lyze the results and demonstrate points of conver- gence among potential partnering interests in the region. Civic Leadership and Community Renewal One of the most important developments in many of these communities has been the presence of new civic intermediaries who are playing a critical role in imparting facilitative leadership to the broader community. In the larger urban markets, a new gen- eration of civic leaders is emerging and leading a nascent movement for sustainable regeneration of downtown centers, new thinking about planning and design, and collaborative work on sustainabil- ity. These civic intermediaries are playing roles as both conveners and focal points for implementation: • The Urban Charrette has mobilized dozens of lo- cal design professionals to implement important demonstration projects in Tampa, as well as fa- cilitated an ongoing community dialogue about: the future of the city. • Chattanooga Stand describes its core mission as "citizen making" and is actively working to serve as an important connector across the commu- nity, empowering citizens to work together. Stand is now "committed to providing the community the information, tools, and resources necessary to identify shared priorities through public dialogue, build stronger connections between residents, National Civic Review leaders and organizations, and collaborate to turn vision into action." • In Los Angeles, the Downtown Neighborhood Council's Sustainability Committee has organized tree - planting initiatives, worked on urban revital- ization and beautification projects, and actively engaged downtown stakeholders in a dialogue about a future vision for the area. Across these communities, organizations are imple- menting the mantra of Jane Jacobs that "cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody." Conclusion We hope that this edition of the National Civic Review will make a modest but valuable contribu- tion to current knowledge and understanding about how sustainable communities evolve. Taken collec- tively, these communities are important examples and models regarding the key attributes of success- ful communities. More important, they represent an emerging narrative about how America will take on its most pressing challenges during the next half century. These communities are not only renewing and redefining themselves collectively; they are help- ing to redefine America and are all making impor- tant contributions to the emerging narrative of the twenty -first century. Joel Mills is director of the American Institute of Architects Center for Communities by Design. 001: 10.1002 /ncr Fall 2010