Sustainability in Urban Planning
Linus Owns, Department of Sociology, Middlebury College
Mary Ann Cunningham, Department of Earth Science and Geography, Vassar College
Urban and regional planning connect to sustainability in countless ways, both philosophical and practical. We explore some of the philosophical factors first. This section is followed by a more pragmatic overview of some of the factors that can help cities, states, institutions, or communities aim toward sustainability. The first segment (by L.O.) outlines key ideas to consider in alternative approaches to planning. The second segment (by M.A.C.) considers further how these ideas play out in the cities we visited, and ideas that might guide US communities toward practices that are healthier for people and their environments.
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The ideas in this document were informed by the many people who shared their time and thoughts with us. We thank Lasse Moeller-Jensen and Lars Winther (University of Copenhagen, Department of Geology and Geography); Andreas (CopenhagenX); Stine Rasmussen, Tage Duer, and Jacob Vastrup (Danish Energy Agency); Thorkild Green, Pablo Celis, and Thomas Drivsholm (City of Århus Planning Department); and Jürgen (Freiburg Mobile).
Contents
What Ideas underlie Planning?
Consensus and conflict
Private and public
Luxury and necessity
Planning and unplanning
Can US communities learn from European practices?
What do city planners need to do?
What makes a livable city?
Grand design or humane scale?
Why is there stronger and more effective planning in Copenhagen, Århus, and Freiburg than in most US cities?
Historical influences
The welfare state
Structural (state) support for experimentation
Duration of effort
Scale
Is it a good thing to have strong planners?
Economics, demographics, and planning
What would it mean to plan for contraction?
Summary: Some reasons for more successful and effective planning in EU cities
How should we move forward in our communities and campuses?
