Sustainable Dubuque_Community Health & Safety PrincipleTHE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
band
AI- America City
11111r
2007 • 2012 • 2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Addition of Sustainable Dubuque Community Health & Safety Principle
DATE: August 14, 2013
In September 2006, the Dubuque City Council identified becoming a more sustainable
community as one of its top priorities; it has remained a priority since. The Sustainable
Dubuque Task Force was created in December 2007. The task force included
representatives from local government, schools, utility companies, religious
organizations, neighborhood associations, youth organizations, non - profits,
environmental organizations and business stakeholders. Over 20 presentations were
made to community organizations to gather input. In July 2007, 150 community
members participated in stakeholder meetings to discuss targeted visions and ideas. In
addition to public meetings, over 860 community surveys were completed.
In 2010, the City Council formally adopted the Sustainable Dubuque vision as follows:
"Dubuque is a viable, livable and equitable community. We embrace economic
prosperity, environmental integrity, and social /cultural vibrancy to create a
sustainable legacy for generations to come."
The vision is supported by eleven sustainability principles: Regional Economy, Smart
Energy Use, Resource Management, Community Design, Green Buildings, Healthy
Local Food, Community Knowledge, Reasonable Mobility, Healthy Air, Clean Water and
Native Plants & Animals. In addition, the Task Force identified Key Themes and Key
Concepts to help the community understand each of these principles.
Since the adoption of sustainability as a top priority, leadership from the private, public,
and non - profit sectors, as well as individuals, has helped the community to make
significant progress toward the goals and garner international recognition for those
achievements. The City also continues to identify challenges and opportunities for
improvement.
In 2011, the City partnered with the University of Iowa -Iowa Initiative of Sustainable
Communities to develop the Sustainable Dubuque Indicators report, a collection of
performance measures based on best practices that would help the City measure
progress in achieving our own goals and compare us to other communities. The
students reviewed over 1,260 indicators from 44 measurement systems across the
globe. They developed the first annual Sustainable Dubuque progress report, which
includes 61 indicators that measure progress towards the 11 sustainability principles.
The students also made recommendations to address what they identified as gaps in
the sustainability framework. The largest gap referred to the Health & Safety category.
While many of the current principles, such as Healthy Local Foods and Reasonable
Mobility, address components of a healthy and safe community, cities who lead the
sustainable communities movement have begun identifying this topic as its own priority.
Local initiatives, such as the Live Healthy Dubuque program, Wellness Coalition and
Safe Community Task Force; state support such as the Governor's quest to make Iowa
the healthiest state in the country; and national trends in individual and public health
support this recognition of health and safety as a top priority. The addition of a twelfth
principle is supported by the Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration and will also support
the City Council's August 5 commitment to address health in Dubuque.
Some of Sustainable Dubuque's greatest successes have been because of the
integrated, holistic approach taken to address community needs. Adding Community
Health & Safety to the Sustainable Dubuque framework will help to connect
organizations working to create a healthier and safer community into the network of
individuals working in the areas of Economic Prosperity, Social /Cultural Vibrancy, and
Environmental Integrity.
Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach recommends City Council approval
of the addition of Community Health & Safety as the 12th principle in the Sustainable
Dubuque model.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
2
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Dubuque
kital
All- America City
II 111!
2012
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordintor
SUBJECT: Addition of Sustainable Dubuque Community Health & Safety Principle
DATE: August 14, 2013
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to recommend adding a twelfth principle, Community
Health & Safety, to the Sustainable Dubuque vision.
BACKGROUND
In September 2006, the Dubuque City Council identified becoming a more sustainable
community as one of its top priorities; it has remained a priority since. The Sustainable
Dubuque Task Force was created in December 2007. The task force included
representatives from local government, schools, utility companies, religious
organizations, neighborhood associations, youth organizations, non - profits,
environmental organizations and business stakeholders. Over 20 presentations were
made to community organizations to gather input. In July 2007, 150 community
members participated in stakeholder meetings to discuss targeted visions and ideas. In
addition to public meetings, over 860 community surveys were completed.
In 2010, the City Council formally adopted the Sustainable Dubuque vision as follows:
"Dubuque is a viable, livable and equitable community. We embrace economic
prosperity, environmental integrity, and social /cultural vibrancy to create a sustainable
legacy for generations to come."
The vision is supported by eleven sustainability principles: Regional Economy, Smart
Energy Use, Resource Management, Community Design, Green Buildings, Healthy
Local Food, Community Knowledge, Reasonable Mobility, Healthy Air, Clean Water and
Native Plants & Animals. In addition, the Task Force identified Key Themes & Key
Concepts to help the community understand each of these principles. The attached
Appendix A reviews those themes.
DISCUSSION
Since the adoption of sustainability as a top priority, leadership from the private, public,
and non - profit sectors, as well as individuals, has helped the community to make
significant progress towards our goals and garner international recognition for those
achievements. We also continue to identify challenges and opportunities for
improvement.
In 2011, the City partnered with the University of Iowa Iowa Initiative of Sustainable
Communities to develop the Sustainable Dubuque Indicators report, a collection of
performance measures based on best practices that would help us measure our
progress in achieving our own goals and compare ourselves to other communities. The
students reviewed over 1,260 indicators from 44 measurement systems across the
globe. They developed the first annual Sustainable Dubuque progress report, which
includes 61 indicators that measure progress towards our 11 sustainability principles.
The students also made recommendations to address what they identified as gaps in
our sustainability framework. The largest gap referred to the Health & Safety category.
While many of the current principles, such as Healthy Local Foods and Reasonable
Mobility, address components of a healthy and safe community, cities who lead the
sustainable communities movement have begun identifying this topic as its own priority.
Local initiatives, such as the Live Healthy Dubuque program, Wellness Coalition and
Safe Community Task Force; state support such as the Governor's quest to make Iowa
the healthiest state in the country; and national trends in individual and public health
support this recognition of health and safety as a top priority. The addition of a twelfth
principle is supported by the Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration and will also support
the City Council's August 5 commitment to address health in Dubuque.
Some of Sustainable Dubuque's greatest successes have been because of the
integrated, holistic approach that we have taken to addressing community needs.
Adding Community Health & Safety to the Sustainable Dubuque framework will help to
connect organizations working to create a healthier and safer community into the
network of individuals working in the areas of Economic Prosperity, Social /Cultural
Vibrancy, and Environmental Integrity.
Like the existing principles, the Community Health & Safety principle would include key
themes and concepts to guide our work.
12th Principle: Community Health & Safety
Sustainable Dubuque is a community that values systems, policies and engagement to
ensure that all residents have access to healthy and safe lifestyle choices.
Key Concepts & Themes:
• Resiliency
• Individual & Public Safety
• Mental & Physical Health
As the Sustainable Dubuque Annual Report is scheduled to come out this month, we
would work with subject matter experts and gather community input to define indicators
to measure our progress towards this principle for next year's report. Based on national
2
best practices, indicators may include health insurance coverage; crime rates; access to
mental health, physical health, and dental health services; substance abuse rates, and
disease rates.
With the addition of Health & Safety, the 12 sustainability principles would fall under the
three pillars as follows:
Economic Prosperity
Regional Economy
Smart Energy Use
Resource Management
Community Design
Environmental Integrity
Healthy Air
Clean Water
Native Plants & Animals
Reasonable Mobility
Social /Cultural Vibrancy
Green Buildings
Healthy Local Food
Community Knowledge
Community Health & Safety
BUDGET IMPACT
The budget impact of adding a twelfth principle would result from having to update
marketing materials including banners, case statement booklets, Mayor & City Council
Sustainability Pledge cards, and business cards. These items will be paid for from the
existing Sustainability Printing & Binding budget ($3,500 in FY 2014).
RECOMMENDED ACTION
I respectfully request City Council approval of the addition of a twelfth principle,
Community Health & Safety, to the Sustainable Dubuque model.
cc: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration
3
City of Dubuque Sustainability Task Force Final Report
Appendix A. Example Themes & Key Concepts of Dubuque's 11 Sustainability Principles
SOCIAL /CULTURAL VIBRANCY
Principle: Green Buildings
Theme: Mix of Quality Housing
• Affordable
• Market Rate
• Functional Neighborhoods
Theme: Efficient & Healthy Buildings
• Residential
• Commercial /Institutional
• Industrial
Theme: Entertainment & Cultural Venues
• Local opportunities
• Artistic impact
Theme: Historic Preservation
Principle: Healthy Local Foods
Theme: Farmer's Markets
• Historic 3 Season Market
• Winter Market (Public Support)
• Mid -Week Market(s)
Theme: Gardens
• Community Gardens
• Edible Landscaping
• Public Incentives
Theme: Local Food Production
• Local supply to restaurants, institutions,
colleges & grocery stores
• Buy Fresh, Buy Local Chapter
• Greenhouse and extended season cropping
• Community Supported Agriculture
Theme: Local Food Processing /Storage
• Community Canning
• Freezer Shared Storage
• Refrigerated Storage
Principle: Community Knowledge
Theme: Service Learning
• Community building
• Intercultural Competency
• Effective Empowerment of citizenry in
community life
Theme: Eco- literacy
• City staff
• Businesses
• Community at -large
Theme: Sense of Place
• Cultural Heritage
• Local Celebrations
• "Discovering" Dubuque
Principle: Reasonable Mobility
Theme: Walkable Neighborhoods
• Mixed -use Neighborhoods
• Hike /bike Trails
• Bicycle Commuting
Theme: Safe Transportation of People &
Products
• Bike
• Car Pool
• BusNan/Trolley
• Air
• Rail
• River
• Alternate Vehicles
Theme: Accessibility
City of Dubuque Sustainability Task Force Final Report
Appendix A. Example Themes & Key Concepts of Dubuque's 11 Sustainability Principles
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
Principle:Community Desgin
Theme: Smart Sites
Theme: Safe Complete Streets
Theme: Smart Growth
• New development
• Redevelopment
• Mixed -use development
Principle: Resource Management
Theme: Reduce
Theme: Reuse
• Repair
• Restore
• Deconstruct
• Remodel
• Rethink
Theme: Recycle
• "Buy Recycled"
• Construction/
Demolition
• Residential
• Commercial
• Take Back / Drop -Off
• Events
• Manufacture with Recycled Content Materials
Theme: Composting
• Backyard
• Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency
(DMASWA) Facility
• Private facilities
Theme: Toxic Reductions
• Litter reduction
• Methane recovery
• Hazardous Materials
Theme: Redesgin
Principle: Regional Economy
Theme: Buy Local and Regional First
• Materials
• Products
• Services
Theme: Renewed Economy
• Retail
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Institutional
• Hospitality /Entertainment
• Education
Principle: Smart Energy Use
Theme: Renewable Energy
• Biomass
• Solar
• Wind
• Geothermal
• Biofuels
• Hydro Power
Theme: Energy Savings
City of Dubuque Sustainability Task Force Final Report
Appendix A. Example Themes & Key Concepts of Dubuque's 11 Sustainability Principles
ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY
Principle: Healthy Air
Theme: Air Pollution
• Open Burning
• Air Emissions
Theme: Greenhouse Gas Reduction
• Identify Target Reductions
• Residential
• Commercial
• Government
• Industrial
• Inventory
Theme: Indoor Air Quality
• Health
• Productivity
Principle: Clean Water
Theme: Potable Water and Groundwater
Protection
• Drinking Water Quality
• Contaminated Soils
• Efficiency of Water Use
Theme: Wastewater Infrastructure and
Treatment
Theme: Watershed and Surface Water
Management
• Stormwater Quality
• Stormwater Quantity
• Local Watersheds
• Point Source Discharges
• NPDES
Principle: Native Plants & Animals
Theme: Natural Habitats
• Biodiversity
• Educational resources
Theme: Parks & Preserves
• Expanded native plantings
• Expanded field programs & signage
Theme: Conservation Design
• Tree Canopy
• Open Space
• Conservation Easements