Basic Definitions and Components
of Sustainable Communities
Links provided in this section provide information
about what sustainable communities are, about the characteristics
of sustainable communities, and about the benefits of sustainable
communities.
Beth E. Lachman. Linking Sustainable Community
Activities to Pollution Prevention:
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR855/index.html
Includes sections on defining sustainable communities and elements
of sustainable communities. American examples of sustainable
community projects are included. On-line bibliography of sources
offered in areas such as built environment and energy.
Developing Sustainable Communities: The
Future is Now:
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/freshstart/articles/future.htm
This site offers discussion about the benefits of sustainable
communities and principles that sustainable communities would
adopt.
Five E's Unlimited:
http://www.esva.net/~sustainrwf/ee00059.htm
This site provides information on sustainable development, including
the characteristics of a sustainable city; achieving sustainable
communities, sustainability education, and others. You may also
subscribe to their free on-line newsletter called Sustainability
Review. The site has lots of links related to sustainable urban
development.
Florida Sustainable Communities Centre:
http://fcn.state.fl.us/fdi/
This site offers definitions for sustainability, sustainable
development, and sustainable communities. If you go further into
the site, you will find a section called "Thoughts on Sustainability"
that offer quotes from various professionals on what a sustainable
community is.
Hart Environmental Data:
http://www.subjectmatters.com/indicators/
This site offers insight to sustainability indicators. It also
provides definitions about sustainability, sustainable development
and sustainable communities not just from the perspective of
its own organization, but from the perspective of others as well.
Institute for Sustainable Communities:
http://www.iscvt.org/FAQscdef.htm
In the "Frequently Asked Questions" section, one can
find information that includes definitions of sustainable communities
from a variety of organizations and elements of a sustainable
community.
Sustainable Communities Initiative:
http://web.uvic.ca/sci/
Definitions for sustainable community. The discussion of what
a sustainable community is broken down into several components
over a series of pages.
Sustainable Communities Resource Package:
http://www.web.net/ortee/scrp/index.html
Offers views by the Sustainable Communities Working Group of
the Ontario Round Table and academics about what a sustainable
community is, along with characteristics / principles of a sustainable
community. Articles featured on this site also discuss barriers
to sustainable community development.
The City of Santa Monica Sustainable City
Program:
http://www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/INDEX.HTM
The City of Santa Monica has provided information about composting,
water conservation tips, waste reduction tips, energy conservation,
and links to sustainable business sites, which provides valuable
information for sustainable living in the daily lives of the
general public.
The Sustainable Village:
http://www.sustainable.buz.org/sustainable_projects_pages/
This is a web page in Ireland that includes information about
components to a sustainable village.
Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards
Sustainability ( The Aalborg Charter):
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/
homepages/European_Sustainable_Cities/esctcaal.htm
The full text of the Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards
Sustainability approved in Aalborg, Denmark on 27 May, 1994.
Sustainable Cities:
http://www.rti.org/cid/scsummary.cfm
Camille Cates Barnett and Francine Luloffs
Since the year 2000,
for the first time in history, half of the Earth's population
lives in urban areas. By the year 2015, there will be 27
cities over 10 million in population, 22 of which will be in
developing countries.
- What will metropolitan regions be like in
the years to come?
- How do cities overcome disparity and sprawl?
- How do urban regions find ways of developing
and governing themselves that are sustainable -- that is, address
present needs for a stable economy, environment, and culture,
but in a manner that takes into consideration the needs of future
generations as well?
As stated in the United Nations City Summit
Habitat Agenda (Chapter I, June 1996, p. 1.), "There
is a sense of great opportunity and hope that a new world can
be built, in which economic development, social development and
environmental protection as interdependent and mutually reinforcing
components of sustainable development can be realized through
solidarity and cooperation within and between countries and through
effective partnerships at all levels."
Barriers to Implementing
Sustainable Urban Development
It should be noted that most of these links
deal with barriers to sustainability in Canada. However, discussion
of many of these barriers are applicable to other countries.
The study on National and Sub-National Obstacles to Local Agenda
21 provides additional barriers from the perspectives of developing
countries.
APEC Sustainable Cities Program of Action:
http://www.apecnetwork.org/cities_program.html
This site offers information about barriers to sustainable urban
development. This site also covers topics from sustainable energy to
sustainable agriculture.
What's Stopping Sustainability: Jennie
Moore:
http://newcity.ca
Description of barriers and suggested solutions to sustainable
urban development. Psychological / behavioural, institutional
/ regulatory and financial / economic barriers are outlined.
Strategies for Overcoming Market and Institutional Barriers to
Sustainable Real Estate Development in Canada: http://www.cip-icu.ca/99papers/alexander.htm:
There is a description of market, societal, political, regulatory,
and informational barriers explored.
Study on National Obstacles to Local Agenda 21: http://www.iclei.org/iclei/csd6rept.htm
Prepared for the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives. Market, financial, regulatory, legal, jurisdictional,
professional, and sub-national barriers among others are explored.
Numerous case studies are examined from Canada, Tanzania, the
United States, Brazil, Switzerland, and more.
Sustainable Communities Resource Package:
http://www.web.net/ortee/scrp/index.html
Offers views by the Sustainable Communities Working Group of
the Ontario Round Table and academics about what a sustainable
community is, along with characteristics / principles of a sustainable
community. Articles featured on this site also discuss barriers
to sustainable community development.
Youth Education Programmes
about Sustainable Urban Development
These sites target early education about sustainability
issues for youth.
Full Circle Institute:
http://www.fullcircleinstitute.org/
Site that offers education on sustainable development for youth.
Learning for a Sustainable Future Online
Module:
http://www.schoolnet.ca/vp-pv/learning/e/documents/cities/
A non-profit organization that works with various educational
systems in Canada to provide basic information about sustainable
communities at primary levels. Thematic activities for the classroom
are suggested. This site offers an on-line journal called International
Youth Magazine focused on educating youth on issues relevant
to sustainable urban development. Information is available in
English and French.
Research
These sites compile on-going research projects,
statistical databases, and databases of resources of useful organizations
that may provide research expertise.
Center for Human Settlements:
http://www.chs.ubc.ca
The Center for Human Settlements provides descriptions of ongoing
projects such as poverty reduction in Vietnam, democratic planning
in Sri Lanka, and water resource management in Beijing. Under
each researcher profile are lists of numerous publications in
the area of sustainable urban development.
DGXI - Sustainable Cities Programme:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg11/urban/home_en.htm
Funding and grant information is available. Several policy documents
on issues such as environmental assessment, education and awareness,
air, and waste are included. Several fact sheets and statistical
databases are available that monitor progress to such things
as reducing emissions and controlling waste.
European Databank on Sustainable Development:
http://www.inesglobal.org/eudb/info/startpage.htm
The organization is working on an internet data base listing
institutions and scientists in Europe concerned with the idea
of sustainable development and its implementation as well as
providing information on their performance profile and their
specific working fields. The DataBank project is expected to
be completed in April 2001.
Indigo Development:
http://www.indigodev.com/Sustain.html
The organization functions as a virtual think tank linking research
and development with both private and public sector applications.
The site discusses the benefits of industrial ecology and sustainable
community development. Provides general information about defining
sustainable communities and components of sustainable communities.
Intergovernmental Committee on Urban and
Regional Research:
http://www.icurr.org/icurr/
Research database available on numerous topics related to sustainable
urban development.
J Kropp's Webpage: Urbanism, Cities &
Sustainability Related Links:
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~kropp/eco.html
Links are provided to case studies of sustainable urban development,
significant sustainable development organizations, and a sustainable
urban management simulation program. It should be noted that
the simulation program is a software package that is developed
with research and consultation to a specific geographic region.
It includes the concept of the ecological footprint.
Statistics Canada:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/reference/servrs.htm
What's relevant about this site is the links to international
statistical sites in Europe, North America, South America, Asia,
and the Middle East, and around the north. They are also in a
few different languages. EUROSTAT and OECD statistical links
are also provided. Good for accessing links to information on
trends influencing sustainable urban development.
Sustainable Community Development: Barriers
and Opportunities:
http://www.psu.edu/dept/ipre/barriers.html
This is a research project site at Pennstate University.
Sustainable Development Research Institute:
http://www.sdri.ubc.ca
You may order or download Quest software that allows the user
to create a future where the viewer can see the consequences
of selected policies on the sustainability of the urban landscape.
The site offers an international internship program where Canadians
are offered opportunities abroad with international organizations
and businesses to develop skills in their fields. Updates of
regional sustainable development case studies from around the
world are provided.
The Urban Climate Network:
http://www.urbanclimate.org/welcome.html
Student research projects in the area of urban climatology are
noted. An example of such research includes, "The Effect
of Urbanization on Temperatures in Microclimates." The article
database is an excellent source of research completed on urban
climates and design, air pollution, planning and urban climatology,
and more. Many of the upcoming events noted on their conference
listing page are directly related to urban sustainability issues.
Their links to urban climate modelling, education, urban heat
island studies, and cities and global climate change to various
regions around the world is excellent. You will find research
on this site from Sweden, Japan, Germany, Canada, the United
States and more. Notable is the First International Conference
on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability: THE SUSTAINABLE CITY,
25 - 27 April 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
On-line Journals,
Newsletters and Database
Cambridge Journals On-line:
http://www.journals.cup.org/
Over 50 journals available on-line. Examples include Urban History,
Continuity and Change, Environmental Conservation, Environment
and Development Economics, Review of International Studies, and
more.
Conservation Ecology:
http://www.consecol.org/Journal/
Peer-reviewed journal available on-line. The journal seeks papers
that are novel, integrative and written in a way that is accessible
to a wide audience that includes an array of disciplines (biology,
ecology, economics, and the social sciences) concerned with an
array of issues (conservation, sustainability, development, and
ecological policy).
Ecological Economics Journal:
http://www.elsevier.com
/inca/publications/store/5/0/3/3/0/5/index.htt?menu=cont
Specific research areas cover topics such as ecologically integrated
technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales
from local to regional to global, renewable resource management
and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions
underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the
implications of alternative assumptions, integrating natural
resources and environmental services into national income and
wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental
policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony,
etc.
Environmental Building News:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/
E-mail discussion groups, sustainable design articles, "green
buildings," and plenty of suggestions for books and periodicals
on issues related to sustainable community development. There
is also a good list of upcoming conferences on environmental
design. Most conferences, however, take place in the United States
and Canada with some conference listings for conferences taking
place in South Korea, Finland, the Netherlands, and Mexico.
Interplan on the Web:
http://interplan.org/
Features articles include topics such as maximizing participation
in urban development, planning in Serbia, immigration and world
cities, and more.
New Internationalist:
http://www.oneworld.org/ni/issue313/contents.htm
On-line journal that deals with different theme issues each month.
For the month of June 1999, the theme was "Green Cities."
Quarterly Journal of the Urban Design Group:
http://rudi.herts.ac.uk/ej/udq/udq.html
Many issues of the journal deal more specifically with urban
sustainability issues such as urban design and conservation,
involving local communities in urban design, and sustainable
urban design theme issues.
Sustainable Development International:
http://www.sustdev.org/
The journal is distributed to 168 countries globally. Distribution
targets key individuals and organizations that influence decision
making processes and consumption that influences sustainable
development. Lots of very interesting projects, but web viewers
will need to download acrobat to read the articles. Lots of links
to organizations in the areas of trade, consumption, forestry,
agriculture, and general sustainable development sites including
links to UN organizations.
Urban Age Magazine:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban/index.html
Features articles looking at urban issues around the world.
Urban Design: The Quarterly Journal of
the Urban Design Group
http://rudi.herts.ac.uk/ej/udq/udq.html
A good on-line journal that provides access to many back issues
that discuss many aspects of urban design and development, including
sustainable urban design, local participation, landscape architecture,
conferences, and a lot more. Examples of sustainable urban design
from cities around the world are discussed in each issue.
Urban Green File:
http://www.urbangreen.co.za/
An on-line South African journal that reviews on-going projects
in urban development. Regular features posted on-line include
opinion letters, words about waste, green building, and more.
The International Journal of Urban Policy
and Planning:
http://www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/3/0/3/9/6/index.htt
Cities offers a comprehensive range of articles
on all aspects of urban policy. It provides an international
and interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of ideas and
information between urban planners and policy makers from national
and local government, non-government organizations, academia
and consultancy.
The primary aims of the journal are to analyse
and assess past and present urban development and management
as a reflection of effective, ineffective and non-existent planning
policies; and the promotion of the implementation of appropriate
urban policies in both the developed and the developing world.
Topics covered include: Housing, homelessness
and health; urban management; public-private sector cooperation;
Third World development and planning problems; urban regeneration;
urban conservation and design; technological innovation and urban
planning; urban transportation.
Each issue also features a profile of a major
city. Coverage includes a brief description of the city's historical
development, an account of comtemporary conditions, problems
or issues, and a critical review of recent or current policy,
planning or management responses.
Database on Good Practice in Urban Management
and Sustainability:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/urban/html/submit_case_form_en.htm
The success of the database is dependent upon a critical mass
of information. Contributions are therefore encouraged and can
be submitted on-line using the Case Submission Form below. Please
complete the form in English.
For more information on how to use this form, consult the help
page.
Alternative Energy Organizations
These sites explore the benefits, viability,
and use of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar
energy.
Canadian Wind Energy Association:
http://www.canwea.ca/indexen.htm
This site offers interesting quick facts about wind production.
For example, "in Canada, the 18.9 megawatt wind generating
plant on Cowley Ridge, Alberta produces more than 55,000,000
kilowatt-hours of electricity per year - enough for 6,800 typical
Canadian homes. If this electricity is used to displace coal-generated
electricity, it avoids discharging about 55,000 tonnes of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere annually." The site lists the
status of wind production plants in Canada, including their location.
Lots of good links to wind energy associations in Europe, North
America, and South Africa.
European Wind Energy Association:
http://www.ewea.org/
This site offers some statistics on wind energy outputs for various
regions in Europe. There are general descriptions about how wind
energy development works. There are links to the American and
Canadian associations of wind energy and research groups.
Finnish Wind Energy Association:
http://www.tuulivoimayhdistys.fi/
There is a map on this site showing the spatial distribution
of wind mills in Finland along with numerous statistics.
The South African Wind Energy Association:
http://www.icon.co.za/~sawea/
Wind energy appears to be in the early phase of development in
South Africa, but this could be a good site to keep an eye on.
Links are under construction. You can access reports, newsletters,
and publications about the wind energy studies and potential
from this site. Environmental benefits are outlined. But there
are no examples of communities feeding off of wind energy yet.
Rocky Mountain Institute:
http://www.rmi.org
The Rocky Mountain Institute offers an on-line newsletter. You
may also order publications on-line. The Frequently Asked Questions
feature is particularly useful for people who want to learn more
about recycling, solar technology, and the latest techniques
that improve energy efficiency and efficient consumption of resources
in daily life. The site also offers tips about what sustainability
is, and what citizens can do to control rapid growth problems.
Sustainable Transportation
These sites explore the use of alternative
modes of transportation and more efficient transportation planning
policies. In some cases, strategies are explored for using incentives
to reduce the use of the automobile.
International Bicycle Fund:
http://www.ibike.org
This site offers instant translation in French, German, Italian,
Portugese, and Spanish. There are several short on-line articles
such as "Polish Traffic Laws Favor Cyclists," "Planning
for Livability," "Full Costs Transportation Planning,"
and a lot more. There are on-line bibliographies for bicycle
and non-motorized activities and policies. For many of these
publications, the site offers a direct link to a publishing company
or web site where you can access an on-line report or inquire
about ordering the publication.
Public Technology Inc:
http://www.pti.nw.dc.us
If you go into the research section on this site, you will find
several publications and on-line information about sustainable
transportation systems for communities. However, there is a European
Case Study entitled: "Intelligent Transportation Systems
that Support Sustainable Mobility," which can be found at:
http://www.pti.nw.dc.us/euro/sust.htm
Surface Transportation Policy Project:
http://www.transact.org/
STPP's 1999 European Study Tour includes lessons learned from
Europe about sustainable urban transportation.
Transportation Technologies for Sustainable
Communities:
http://www.transact.org/ttsc/REPORT.HTM
This site offers reports and links related to the development
of sustainable transportation networks in communities.
Local Agenda 21s - Documents
and Programmes
Information and Communication Technology
Use with Local Agenda 21
Processes:
http://www.ictula.de/links.html
This is an excellent site with numerous links to agenda 21 sustainable
urban development initiatives around the world. For example,
there is a link to the Agenda 21 Stockholm, Sweden which received
a sustainable environmental award. Publications are available
to be downloaded on survey results of various European communities
in the local Agenda 21 process.
The Hague Local Agenda:
http://pubwww.tudelft.nl/denhaag/ukstart.html
Contains information about transportation, sustainable housing,
energy, and more items related to sustainable urban development.
Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century:
Why and How to Prepare an Effective Local Agenda 21 Strategy:
http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/sustainable/la21/policy/index.htm
Includes a checklist of components of a sustainable society.
Gives some pointers on how to get started and what information
needs to be included in order to make it effective.
Study on National Obstacles to Local Agenda
21:
http://www.iclei.org/iclei/csd6rept.htm
Prepared for the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives. Market, financial, regulatory, legal, jurisdictional,
professional, and sub-national barriers among others are explored.
Numerous case studies are examined from Canada, Tanzania, the
United States, Brazil, Switzerland, and more.
Urban Design
These sites deal more specifically with how
urban form influences sustainability.
Cityscape Institute:
http://www.cityscapeinstitute.org/
This site has excellent links to numerous institutes and organizations
that work on improving urban form. Most links are more directly
linked to organizations in the New York area.
Context Institute's Sustainable Culture
Information Service:
http://www.context.org
The site contains the Global Context guide which has a section
on community design that deals mostly with sustainability issues.
Energy and Climate in Desert Architecture:
http://www.bgu.ac.il/CDAUP/energy.html
Information is aimed at educating how climate-responsive design
can enhance human thermal comfort in cities, while reducing the
use of non-renewable resources in desert environments. Topics
for discussion include: urban climate and open spaces, energy
aspects of building aspects and construction, and innovations
in passive heating and cooling.
Sustainable Urban Design and Climate:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/environ/design/design.shtml
The Bureau of Meteorology (Australia) discusses the influence
that urban design has on the climate and sustainability of cities.
Benefits of climate-responsive design are also discussed.
Multi-Disciplinary Projects
and Case Studies
John Snow, Inc.
JSI Research and Training Institute:
http://www.jsi.com/home.html
Findings from the Sub-Saharan Africa Urban Family Planning Study. The Centre
for African Family Studies, Nairobi, Kenya. The study sought to determine
how family planning service delivery programs in three African cities coping
with rapid urbanization could be made more efficient and effective. These
studies led to a full urban initiative under SEATS II, with refinements in
data collection, multisectoral team configurations, and applicability to
other social sectors important in urban areas.
Human Settlements:
http://www.oneworld.org/iied/human/index.html
Human Settlements Monitoring and researching urban issues in the South. The
programme's main interest is in reducing poverty and improving health and
housing conditions among the urban populations of Latin America, Asia and
Africa, especially among low income groups. The programme also seeks to
combine this with promoting more ecologically sustainable patterns of urban
development. Its work includes research, evaluation, technical assistance,
seminars, publications and, in recent years, training and is carried out by
a small team in London working with researchers and activists based in
cities in the South.
Managing the Environment Locally in Sub Sahran Africa:
http://www.melissa.org
The Site for Managing the Environment Locally in Sub Saharan Africa. It
describes the MELISSA programme, Local Environmental Actions Plans (LEAPS),
and Knowledge and Expertise Network (KERN). It also has news, lists partners
and contacts, and contains a glossary.
Canadian Urban Institute:
http://www.canurb.com
This site features a section on International Programs, with
projects in Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe. Examples
of municipal cooperation programs exist between Canada and Hungary,
the Baltic States, Bosnia, Cuba, Paraguay, and others.
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development:
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/articles/develop.htm
Features an article by Don Geis and Tammy Kutzmark that discusses
the benefits of sustainable urban development. The article provides
examples of what cities, such as Boulder and Portland, are doing
to implement sustainable urban development.
Cities Environment Report on the Internet:
http://www.ceroi.net/
There are available reports for cities in Norway, Finland, Russia,
the Czech Republic, and South Africa. The reports represent community
activities towards crime, housing, air pollution, transportation
issues, solid waste management and more. They offer a template
for cities to use in preparing State of the Environment reports
for their cities.
Climate Solutions - Practical Solution
for Global Warming:
http://climatesolutions.org/index2.html
There is a bicycle commuter contest in the City of Olympia. Their
clean energy programme and incentives are under construction.
There is a brief description about the various sources of energy.
There are some brief reports on the Kyoto conference and the
Northwest's Changing Climate. Some of these reports offer more
description about sustainable development issues in general but
do relate global warming problems back to the urban centre.
DGXI - Sustainable Cities Programme:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg11/urban/home_en.htm
Funding and grant information is available. Several policy documents
on issues such as environmental assessment, education and awareness,
air, and waste are included. Several fact sheets and statistical
databases are available that monitor progress to such things
as reducing emissions and controlling waste.
European Academy of the Urban Environment:
http://www.eaue.de/Belfast.htm
Good listing of upcoming workshops on sustainable urban development
topics, such as car free cities. Many are directly targeted at
Hungary and other countries that are candidates for new membership
in the EU. You can order many sustainable urban development topic
publications on-line (mostly in English and German). There is
an on-line database where you can access case study projects
for cities all over Europe on topics such as Organizing the Local
Agenda 21 Process, Public Transport and Urban Planning, and wind
and solar energy studies. Each case study offers an abstract
and a more detailed description of the results to date. The links
are more directly relevant to Europe.
European Sustainable City Award:
http://www.ccre.org/dur_an.html
There is a brief description of the reasons various cities received
this award either through public participation in urban governance
or enhanced public awareness or through regulations etc.
Network of Urban Forums for Sustainable
Development:
http://www.urban.nl/p_forums/index.htm
This is a network of European communities that have public awareness
and
cooperation projects that focus on air quality, water management
issues, and sustainable transportation. There are brief descriptions
of each cities contribution to the projects with contact information
provided for further follow up.
OneWorld Online: The City
http://www.oneworld.org/guides/thecity/index.html
A list of book publications is available on site. The Best Practice
section displays case studies from around the world on projects
and policies related to urban sustainability issues. London's
footprint looks at the amount of resources needed to maintain
the city.
The Sustainability Institute:
http://www.sustainer.org/
Links to Cobb Hill Cohousing project with very recent updates
for spring 2000 activities.
http://www.sn.apc.org/nurcha/
The South African Government of National Unity has given high priority to
housing development as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme.
The National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency has been established as
a Presidential Lead Project to fill a critical niche in Housing Development
in South Africa over the next five to ten years.
Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry:
http://www.ruaf.org/
The aim of RUAF is to facilitate integration of Urban Agriculture in the
policies and plans of city authorities and to facilitate the formulation of
projects on urban agriculture with active involvement of all local
stakeholders. The duration of RUAF is five years, which started in October
1999. A midterm review will take place in the third year of the
Programme.RUAF will also closely co-operate with existing and new regional
networks on urban agriculture: Red de Investigación en Agricultura Urbana
para America Latina y America Central (AGUILA), the Network on Urban
Agriculture in East and Southern Africa, Reseau Francophone en Agriculture
Urbaine pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre, and others.
International Organizations
for Sustainable Urban Development
These are major organizations with an international
outreach capacity with their activities.
The Rural Development Services Network:
http://www.rdsn.org.za/profile/index.htm
RDSN, as a network of independent rural development organisations aims to
contribute to the eradication of poverty and the empowerment of rural people
through campaigning networking, collaborating and by building a wider and
stronger membership base.
The Insternational Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives:
http://www.iclei.org/
ICLEI is the international environmental agency for local governments.
ICLEI's mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local
governments to achieve tangible improvements in global environmental and
sustainable development conditions through cumulative local actions.
European Centre for Development Policy
Management:
http://ecdpm.org
The Centre is an independent foundation whose capacity building activities
aim to improve cooperation between Europe and countries in Africa, the
Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The International Network for Urban
Development:
http://www.inta-aivn.org/
INTA is an international network that encourages the exchange of
information, experience and best practices on urban development and renewal
across the world.
The Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP)
http://www.unchs.org/scp/
The Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) is a joint UNCHS/UNEP programme. It
works towards the development of a sustainable urban environment, building
capacities in urban environmental planning and management, and promoting a
broad-based participatory process. The programme, headquartered in Nairobi,
Kenya, was established in 1990. Today, the Sustainable Cities Programme is
active in China, Chile, Egypt, Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria, the
Philippines, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia and
Zanzibar. National level activities are taking place in Chile, Egypt,
Nigeria and Tanzania. Preparatory activities are underway in Gaza, Haiti,
Indonesia, Jordan, the Lebanon, Mozambique, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. At the
global level the programme facilitates the exchange of experience and
know-how. It captures lessons of experience, creating environment planning
and management tools, and disseminates information through publications,
websites and newsletters.
The Global Urban Observatory (GUO):
http://www.urbanobservatory.org/
The Global Urban Observatory (GUO) is a system of capacity building
programmes and resources to help Governments, local authorities and their
partner groups to monitor progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda and to
expand the base of knowledge for better urban policy.
The Wolrd Bank Group:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban
The Africa Region of the World Bank has identified urban productivity as a
key issue for sustainable poverty reduction in Africa, and one that merits
comprehensive research. This research seeks to promote productivity, growth
and welfare by helping identify the policies and infrastructure needed for
African cities to play their role as nexus of growth. The Africa region is
experiencing the fastest rate of urbanization in the world, yet it is not
accompanied by economic growth as has taken place in other developing
regions. As more and more African countries achieve some success in macro
fundamentals, it is urgent to identify concomitant micro policies and
measures that promote growth and sustainable poverty reduction.
ACC Network on Rural Development and Food
Security:
http://www.accnetwork.net/
The ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security brings together main
development partners for focused and coordinated action at the country
level.
The African Environmental Research and Consulting
Group (AERCG):
http://WWW.AFRICAENVIRO.ORG/
The African Environmental Research and
Consulting Group (AERCG) is a consortium of professionals working towards
improving the quality of life in Africa and the rest of the world through
environmental hazard mitigation.
Habitat - United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements:
http://www.unhabitat.org/
Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme:
http://www.unhabitat.org/blp/index.html
and http://www.bestpractices.org/
A database of projects, programs, and policies working to solve
sustainability issues. One must subscribe to gain full access
to the database. Information about the Dubai International Award
for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment, including
past recipients, and other sustainable development awards is
available.
Sustainable Cities Programme:
http://www.unchs.org/scp/
Human Settlements - UN Division for Sustainable
Development:
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/hsd.htm
Project portfolios for numerous countries in areas such as energy
planning and management are available. There is also a link to
Chapter 7 of Agenda 21 (Human Settlements): http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21chapter7.htm
Institute for Sustainable Communities:
http://www.iscvt.org/FAQscdef.htm
This organization has projects in numerous countries including
Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Japan and more. In the "Frequently
Asked Questions" section, one can find information that
includes definitions of sustainable communities from a variety
of organizations and elements of a sustainable community.
European Academic of the Urban Environment:
http://www.eaue.de/
The European Academy of the Urban Environment is aiming to encourage
exchange of experience amongst local government decision makers
in all spheres of sustainable urban development by means of conferences,
seminars and workshops; publications; SURBAN, the database on
good; practice in urban development; supporting the CEM-network
of Central; European Metropolises.
International Centre for Sustainable Cities:
http://www.icsc.ca
The site features descriptions of projects between the ICSC and
partners in Canada, India, China, Poland, Thailand, Indonesia,
and the Philippines. Issues addressed in these projects range
from solid waste management, local capacity building, composting
to growth management. An on-line newsletter features stories
about sustainable urban development projects. This includes information
about the accomplishments and updates of each project.
International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives:
http://www.iclei.org/
Energy facts factsheets are especially interesting for anyone
who wants to learn more about the costs of subsidizing unsustainable
urban development patterns.
Cities21:
http://www.iclei.org/cities21/index.htm
"Local Sustainability," the European
Good Practice Information Service:
http://cities21.com/europractice/
This site offers an electronic library of
policies and documents related to European local sustainability
issues. While most of the documents are in English, some are
also available in German, French, Swedish, Portugese, Latvian,
and numerous other languages. Charter of European Cities and
Towns Towards Sustainability (Aalborg Charter 1994), Towards
Local Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe The Sofia
Statement, and Steps Towards Green Procurement in European Local
Authorities are some of the documents available on-line.
European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign:
http://www.iclei.org/europe/suscam.htm
Promotes sustainable urban policies and development through the
local Agenda 21 process, and through the exchange of information
and experiences among partners.
African Sustainable Cities Network:
http://www.iclei.org/la21/ascn/index.cfm
Promotes the exchange of information and expertise to implement
sustainable development policies. Partner countries have links
to their pages. ICLEI LA21 web conferencing is also available.
Cities Expo:
http://cities-expo.com/
Join townhall discussions on issues such as urban management,
green purchasing, and exchange of information.
International Healthy Cities Foundation:
http://www.healthycities.org/
The foundation provides documents, such as Complex City on-line
that outline the role of key players such as the media, planners,
doctors, environmentalists, and families in creating healthy,
sustainable communities. Another document discusses the role
of universities in promoting health to students and the community
through an outreach program, along with health research. A discussion
forum is under construction.
WHO Europe -Center for Urban Health / Healthy
Cities Project:
http://www.who.dk/healthy-cities/
International Institute for Environment
and Development: Human Settlements Programme
http://www.oneworld.org/iied/human/index.html
This organization provides research, evaluation, training, seminars,
and publications designed to focus efforts to reduce poverty
and improve health and housing conditions in Asia, Latin America,
and Africa. You may link to order issues of the journal called
Environment and Urbanization from this site. Both issues in 1999
dealt with healthy and sustainable cities.
International Institute for Sustainable
Development:
http://www.iisd.ca
Project initiatives in Canada, Mexico, and Pakistan for working
on the theoretical basis of measuring sustainable development
indicators. A sample of case study reports on line include the
European Pressure Index - Eurostat, the European Union and Community
Level Sustainability Assessment in Dasudi, India. The section
on Communities and Livelihoods has lots of information on adapting
to sustainability. Of particular interest is the database of
sustainability literature and how to guides called Sustainability
Toolkits for Communities.
International Institute for the Urban Environment:
http://www.urban.nl/
The site offers descriptions of projects in areas such as sustainable
architecture, waste management, groundwater quality and more.
Most projects are in Europe. There is a section that publicizes
recent book publications in the area of sustainable urban management.
International Urban Development Association:
http://www.inta-aivn.org
The International Network for Urban Development is a non-profit
organization that offers a team of experts to provide advice
on development projects. A list of projects advised by their
Development Advisory Panel is on-line. A list of publications
on urban sustainability is available to be ordered on-line. Publications
are available in hard copy or diskette form. Information and
dates of upcoming seminars on urban regeneration is available.
Urban Environmental Management:
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/
Lots of links to journals and newsletters. There are numerous
links to Local Agenda 21 initiatives around the world. Statistics
that Teach is an interesting feature that can examine the ecological
footprint impacts on cities. There are numerous on-line articles
and country specific documents for countries such as Equador,
Chile, China, and Norway. On-line bibliographies are also available.
Lots of links and information on sustainable transportation,
urban waste management, capacity building and more.
Urban Development - The World Bank Group:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban/index.html
This site offers an on-line journal called Urban Age Magazine
that features articles looking at urban issues around the world.
You may also download the document entitled "Cities in Transition."
Upcoming conferences on sustainability issues around the world
are listed in the events section. Upcoming educational programs
are also listed. There are thematic groups that are working on
urban sustainability issues in Central and Eastern Europe.
The World Bank: The Urban Development Challenge:
Putting People First:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/twurd/challeng.htm
This section offers a brief recollection of events and challenges
faced by the sustainable urban development movement.
World Resources Institute: World Resources
1996-97, The Urban Environment
http://www.wri.org/wri/wr-96-97/96tocful.html
World Resources 1996-1997: the Urban Environment looks at issues
related to sustainable urban development including sprawl, poverty,
waste, transportation problems, air pollution, resources consumption,
and more. There is a listing of upcoming conferences and seminars
on the home page. The section of regional resources offers environmental
data for countries around the world. This includes a look at
resource consumption patterns and treaties ratified by individual
countries.
Worldwatch Institute:
http://www.worldwatch.org
The site offers highlights from their Worldwatch Magazine. The
feature "Alerts" offers updates on the latest trends
and research in sustainable development. You may also order on-line
datasets on topics such as per capita consumption patterns, population
growth trends, transportation patterns, and emission trends.
Upcoming Workshops and
Conferences
Forum: Habitat in Developing Countries:
http://obelix.polito.it/forum/welcome.htm
Forum: Habitat in Developing Countries is an internet resource aimed at
providing information to researchers and professionals working for the
improvement of the built environment in developing countries, and at
facilitating communications among them.
European Academy of the Urban Environment:
http://www.eaue.de/Belfast.htm
Good listing of upcoming workshops on sustainable urban development
topics, such as car free cities. Many are directly targeted at
Hungary and other countries that are candidates for new membership
in the EU.
International Institute for Environment
and Development: Human Settlements Programme:
http://www.oneworld.org/iied/human/index.html
This organization provides research, evaluation, training, seminars,
and publications designed to focus efforts to reduce poverty
and improve health and housing conditions in Asia, Latin America,
and Africa.
Urban Development - The World Bank Group:
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban/index.html
Upcoming conferences and educational programs on sustainability
issues around the world are listed in the events section.
World Resources Institute:
http://www.wri.org/
World Resources 1996-1997: the Urban Environment looks at issues
related to sustainable urban development including sprawl, poverty,
waste, transportation problems, air pollution, resources consumption,
and more. There is a listing of upcoming conferences and seminars
on the home page.
Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental
Development
http://www.picced.org/advocacy/poverty.htm
Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development Urban
Poverty - The Global Phenomenon of Poverty and Social Marginalization in our
Cities.
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