Chandler Promoting Greener Cities
To help address the impacts of cities on climate change and the impact of climate change on cities, we are developing the sustainability network to accelerate the movement of cities and communities toward efficiency and resiliency. With your help, this prestigious annual award will be the richest and most comprehensive awards program in the world for sustainability.
In addition, the high-profile awards program will help drive the most comprehensive information portal in the world to promote sustainable cities, while helping them avoid roadblocks and pitfalls that waste time and scarce resources. Although there are some impressive award programs and information portals for sustainability, none has the breadth and depth that we envision to expedite the process and maximize the impact of the sustainable city movement.
As sustainability experts know, cities around the world are home to about 50 percent of the world’s population and they generate approximately 80 percent of our planet’s greenhouse gases – the primary human contributor to climate change. Meanwhile, many communities are managing the increasing threats of fires, droughts, floods, severe weather, population displacement, and others. Community leaders and citizens around the world must be informed, motivated and empowered to become part of the solution and to be more resilient in the process.
“Cities must take responsibility for our contributions to global climate change,” said former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Unfortunately, few local communities have the ability to engage their citizens in developing a common vision around this issue. Some need guidance on citizen engagement and a collaborative process to achieve consensus. Others need help outlining the entire spectrum of actions that they can take to cut pollution, save energy, conserve water and promote health and sustainability. Other communities around the world already are in contingency mode and need help mitigating the impacts of climate change on their homes and businesses.
Many community leaders need coaching to bring all stakeholder groups to the table to discuss opportunities, threats, resources, and priorities. As communities begin planning, they need comprehensive guidance regarding the full range of possible actions to consider in their plans. Many communities are limiting their sustainability visions to the energy efficiency of city buildings and vehicle fleets. They need to learn from other cities that have embraced a broader spectrum of possible actions such as investments, tax policies, water management, tree management, open space, expanded recycling efforts, and many others.
Civic leaders need guidance and resources to engage all stakeholders. They need role models, case studies, networks, mentors, financial assistance, and incentives to help them exchange experiences and resources. These resources and processes can help minimize civic gridlock and promote rapid change.
The results of a recent survey measures how and to what extent local governments are acting to promote sustainability. It indicates that most city leaders need help on many levels.
“Sustainability has emerged as a major public policy issue facing countries throughout the world,” writes James H. Svara, Director of the Center for Urban Innovation and Professor in the School of Public Affairs. “Sustainability requires a broad range of actions that must include contributions from all levels of government, from all sectors of the economy, and from all of the citizenry. City and county governments are uniquely positioned to make a significant contribution to the effort. They are directly involved in providing or regulating many of the human activities that affect resource use, promote economic development, and affect the protection and inclusion of persons from all economic levels and racial and ethnic groups.”
Overall, the responses to the ICMA survey demonstrate two opposing tendencies:
- Most local governments are becoming active in sustainability, but most governments are involved at a relatively low level and most of the possible sustainability actions are not being widely utilized.
- Most governments lack goals, targets, or specific plans. Only a quarter of local governments have citizen committees and staff dedicated to sustainability, and only one in six has a separate budget to promote sustainability although local governments are spending money on specific actions.
Although the motivation for local action is on the rise, most communities still lack the direction and framework for quick and effective visioning and planning on sustainability. They need guidance to develop and undertake comprehensive and collaborative planning that can make a difference. Although the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and other programs are taking steps in the right direction, they are limited in scope and fail to offer comprehensive guidance, including collaborative planning that specifically embraces citizen engagement and empowerment.
Communities need a toolkit of resources and a template that can guide localized efforts to overcome possible political gridlock. Local leaders need the guidance and tools necessary to educate, inspire, and manage stakeholder input from all segments of their communities. They need to form a collective brain trust for communities around the globe. In addition, many civic leaders need funding to assist with planning and implementation. The Greener Cities program also can help facilitate funding for some initiatives through Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and carbon offsets to finance some of the projects.
“Where national governments can’t or won’t lead, cities will,” said former Toronto Mayor David Miller.
Please join us as a founder in this important program. We can’t do it without the brightest minds in the world. For more information, please visit http://greenercities.org/sustainable-cities-best-practices/ Or contact our CEO, Gary Chandler.
