The concept of sustainability has its roots in the study of biology, and ecology and specifically in the concept of carrying capacity. Sustainability simply means that a particular ecosystem can support a specific population. Underlying the idea of sustainability is the idea that there are certain physical and ecological limits that exist in nature.

As Timothy Beatley and Kristy Manning in The Ecology of Place underscore smart growth or sustainable development marries a number of movements or policy areas. These include environmental protection, transportation planning, land use planning, historic preservation, economic development, and the provision of affordable housing. Within the confines of sustainable development concern for environmental protection is coupled with the creation of people oriented, pedestrian friendly, equitable places.

Environmentalists have long stressed sustainability or the importance of living within the ecological carrying capacities of the environment. They have traditionally sought to steer development away from environmentally sensitive sites such as wetlands, and river corridors, and to protect habitat such as the Pine Barrens. Obviously, environmentalists have not been terribly interested in the development of community centers. However, since dispersed patterns of suburban development necessitate the loss of important areas of open space, environmentalists have realized that to be effective, they must now not only steer development away from sensitive sites, but must begin to steer it into centers. Additionally, compact development serves to reduce the role of the automobile, which has replaced smoke belching factories as the number one cause of air pollution. According to, Beatley and Manning, sprawl has, therefore, without question become the enemy of the environmental movement.

Moreover, because sprawl has destroyed not only cherished landscapes but those landmarks which provide us with a window into our community’s past, the destructive forces of sprawl are clearly now on the preservationist’s hit list.

Sprawl as a prevalent development pattern occurred after WWII and was a consequence of widespread ownership of automobiles. During the last fifty years transportation planning has both reacted to, and encouraged sprawl. Such linkage, although widely recognized, has not precipitated an integrative response. Transportation engineers simply react to land use designs, and municipalities who control land use decisions do so, as if their decisions will not result in impacts to mobility.

Obviously, if we are ever going to counteract the negative effects of sprawl transportation decisions must be integrated with land use policy. Unfortunately, our present system discourages such integration. Furthermore, because sprawl necessarily uses more land per unit, it is also the enemy of those who are interested in issues of social justice, such as providing for affordable housing.

As Tony Hiss in his book, The Experience of Place, emphasizes all these movements are bound together by their sense of “connectedness” either to the natural environment, to the history of a place, or to the people which inhabit the place in which one lives. It is these feelings of connectedness which combine to create a “sense of place.” Such feelings of attachment are important because they nurture caring for a place, and encourage responsibility for others and for one’s surroundings.

A sustainable community seeks, therefore, to accomplish a number of goals. First, it strives to keep to a minimum the conversion of open lands to developed uses. It also seeks to develop in ways which preserve the quality of our air, water, and which demand the utilization of the fewest natural resources. It, further, seeks to develop a physical form in which opportunities for the building of connections, and a sense of responsibility to one’s community are enhanced.

Public gathering places such as parks, plazas, and other public places, serve to nurture commitment and responsibility, and are therefore a necessary ingredient to sustainable places. A pedestrian and bicycle based streetscape also greatly multiply the opportunities for residents to get to know their neighbors.

“...a pedestrian-oriented design, particularly in a downtown setting can serve multiple purposes. In addition to minimizing sprawl and the environmental impacts associated with the automobile, a pedestrian oriented environment encourages face-to-face interaction as special measures to accommodate or welcome pedestrians are an integral element of planning for sustainable communities. Traffic-calming measures, ample sidewalks, and visually captivating storefronts, art, and architecture are all important aspects of this mix.” (Beatley and Manning p. 178)

Besides being pedestrian in orientation sustainable communities include a mix of land uses, and a density of people and commerce sufficient to create vital, active places.

Getting There From Here

Localities: Compact Development: Municipalities should begin to require minimum densities within centers, rather than simply regulate maximum allowable densities. The Town of Brookhaven should create Planned Development Districts, (PDDs) or previously identified PDD zones which include a mixed of uses with single family as well as multifamily units, and apartments above stores.

Developers should be required to incorporate a certain amount of affordable housing into all new developments. Furthermore, in fill and the mixing of housing types within a neighborhood can serve to accommodate residents as their housing needs change, reducing the need to move from familiar neighborhoods, and the current tendency to segregate the aged.

Municipalities should also begin to create positive incentives for the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. Beyond the simple cost of construction or purchase, there are many other significant expenses associated with owning a home. The cost of utilities, electricity, heat, and water, among others. As such energy conservation becomes an important element in ensuring affordability. Beatly and Manning suggest that communities provide density bonuses and other incentives for the extensive use of solar energy, the incorporation of low-flow showerheads, and energy-efficient appliances.

Transportation: Restrictions on parking coupled with other strategies has successfully encouraged residents of Portland Oregon to reduce their auto usage. Portland strictly limits the number of spaces to no more than 0.7 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. of office space.

Moreover, sustainable communities should encourage non-polluting forms of transportation such as bicycling. Other areas not only provide delineated bike lanes, but bike signaling, ample bike racks at destination points, and provisions for taking bikes onto trains and buses. Further, according to Beatly and Manning many municipalities have begun a wonderful experiment. They furnish public bicycles, that is, bicycles that are painted a distinguishing color and that are available (at transit stops, for example) to anyone who wants to use them. Another creative idea is to require or encourage developers to provide bicycles as a part of the package of amenities offered to new homeowners.

Simply slowing down traffic is an important accommodation to both pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic calming measures such as raised center medians, the narrowing of streets, and use of traffic circles, the incorporation of sidewalks in all subdivision designs, and the planting of street trees are important accommodations often missing within Brookhaven.

To further enhance mobility municipalities should encouraging the connections between neighborhoods, whether they be bike lanes or interconnecting roadways. i.e. the elimination or severe reduction of cul-de-sac design. Finally, localities such as the Town of Brookhaven must begin to encourage transit oriented villages.

State: Many areas have begun a regional approach to sustainable development. Oregon has adopted a statewide transportation planning rule, which requires localities to begin to move away from auto reliance. Many states, including Oregon, and Florida have also worked to developed a set of priorities, targets, and goals. Oregon initiated a Benchmarks Program which includes 259 benchmarks or indicators. Indicators or benchmarks are useful in several ways: First they provide a gauge, around which a common discussion about progress (or lack thereof) can occur. Moreover, indicators can inject a performance measure into the political realm. Such performance-based measures are particularly useful in evaluating the cumulative effects of many distinct projects. One of the Oregon benchmarks, for example is the percentage of new development that lies within one-quarter mile of community services, such as schools.

Federal: Current Federal subsidies serve to fuel our dependence on the automobile, and therefore, auto driven development. It has been estimated that public subsidies for cars amounts to $300 billion annually, compared to only $13 billion for public transit. If we hope to make any progress in promoting compact development such inequities need to be eliminated.

Further, the federal government could begin to use the power of its purse strings to promote more sustainable development patterns. Peter Calthorpe and Henry Richmond in “Sustainable Growth: Land Use and Transportation,” argue that federal highway funds should be directly tied to the creation of walkable, transit-oriented developments. The U.S. Department. of Transportation should withhold Transportation funds until localities can specifically demonstrate their commitment to land use policy that discourages sprawl, and encourages transit oriented, pedestrian friendly and cycling friendly development. Such commitment should be a requirement for federal funds. Calthorpe and Richmond have also proposed that other federal programs such as Community Development Block Grants give preference to communities working to promote compact, growth patterns.

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Beatley, Timothy, & Kristy Manning, 1997, The Ecology of Place. Island Press
Hiss, Tony, The Experience of Place