Pathways to Urban Sustainability Perspective from Portland and the Pacific Northwest: Summary of a Workshop (2014) / Chapter Skim
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4 Advancing Sustainable Communities
4 Advancing Sustainable Communities
Pages 37-50
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From page 37... ...
The approach is focused on greenhouse gas accounting and creating sustainable energy strategies based on this accounting that complement local plans. New Energy Cities worked with Issaquah to meet the city's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.
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38 FIGURE 4-1 Energy map for Issaquah, WA. SOURCE: Elizabeth Willmott, presentation, May 29, 2013.
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From page 39... ...
standard and renewable portfolio standards.1 Other initiatives that would contribute to meeting the reduc tion goal include replacing all coal with renewable energy and implementing the state's policy goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled 50 percent by 2050. It would also be necessary to address the existing built environment, specifically with the use of natural gas for heating purposes.
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The Regenerative Neighborhood Project at UBC addresses redevelopment more holistically and aims to develop actual tools that the university can use in its own planning
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From page 41... ...
The lens refers to the additional tools, such as mandated integrated design into university buildings and mandated sustainability targets at the front end of the process. The gradient refers to how the standard operating procedure has changed in a way that these tools and practices are not able to be reversed but instead are done automatically.
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From page 42... ...
For example, UBC has a memorandum of understanding with the city of Vancouver to work on district energy and the challenges involved in implementing it, such as low electricity prices, waste disposal, and transportation issues. This allows the university to engage the students and faculty on these issues, which solves real challenges and provides opportunities for learning.
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From page 43... ...
Presently, there are six regional outcomes that take a triple-bottom-line a pproach and are the driving principles in the 2040 plan: vibrant communities, equity, economic prosperity, transportation choices, clean air and water, and climate leadership. Regarding climate change, four main focus areas are being addressed: greenhouse gas planning from light-duty vehicles, analytical tools and methods development, a climate prosperity approach for jobs in the region, and climate preparedness and adaptation.
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There needs to be more work on making sure that sustainability includes vulnerable communities, and one way the county health department has tried to engage these communities is by inviting community-based environmental groups, public health equity groups, and culturally specific organizations that represent ethnic and linguistic minorities to come to the table and join discussions around these issues. The Health Department worked with the city of Portland to develop a health equity lens, which has been applied to a Safe Routes to School program and decision making around prioritizing resources to high need areas.
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From page 45... ...
Helping families feel that they and their communities are healthy increases their engagement, and continuing to engage citizens' groups in discussion will increase the likelihood that policies will be implemented. BEST PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES John Cleveland, president of the Innovation Network for Communities, discussed research funded by the Kresge Foundation and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)
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From page 46... ...
In addition, a green jobs program that the Department of the Environment created four years ago called Environment Now is designed to hire underemployed residents from underserved communities, train them in eco-literacy, and employ them to work on behalf of the Department of the Environment. Networks also serve as a venue for disseminating information, and the city of San Francisco works with three key networks: Green Cities California, which brings together sustainability directors from Californian cities to share best practices; the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)
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Julia Parzen, coordinator of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) , explained that the USDN allows municipal government sustainability professionals to exchange information and collaborate on best practices related to urban sustainability.
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The network also includes a local sustainability matching fund to assist USDN members and their partners in collaborating to create, develop, test, and spread high-impact solutions for advancing urban sustainability. By 2018, the goal of the fund is to have accelerated the on-the-ground impact of key practice fields, attracted a large amount of public, private, and philanthropic investment in key innovations, and positioned the United States and Canadian local governments as "go to" sources for innovation.
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From page 49... ...
Jill Fuglister, program officer at Meyer Memorial Trust, discussed the philanthropic role in moving sustainable communities forward. Philanthropy in Portland has not focused exclusively on sustainability but also on different spects of sus a tainable and equitable development in the Portland metro region.
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From page 50... ...
Meyer Memorial Trust is looking at investments through the lens of the triple bottom line -- social, economic, and environmental. One example where the trust is engaging these communities and working toward alignment of issues with civic organizations is Oregon Unlimited, a free online project management platform that allows Oregonians to raise issues, identify needs, and exchange information.
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