91视频

At the national planning conference last month (in Phoenix, of all places!) there were several interesting presentations discussing aspects of planning for sustainability, and beyond. So, what does that mean exactly? The Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association has a that defines sustainability in the Oregon planning context, and gives examples of what it means to plan sustainably. That helps give some concrete meaning to the concept, but it鈥檚 still very much up to individual communities to decide how they interpret that on the ground.

National APA is preparing a Sustaining Places scoring system that will enable communities across the country to rate their comprehensive plans according to dozens of sustainability criteria. It鈥檚 being tested and revised now, but will be used by APA for a recognition program when it鈥檚 complete later this year. It will be very interesting to see how various cities large and small are doing in creating the planning context for sustainable living. After seeing a preview, my hunch is that Portland will score very highly.

But is being sustainable good enough? Some planners are talking about 鈥渞egenerative city planning,鈥� adapting the work of John Lyle begun in the 1990s, and articulated more recently by the Regenesis Group in a document called . It combines concepts of eco-system and 鈥渓iving systems鈥� thinking with place-making and stakeholder engagement concepts to advocate for creating cities that are not just sustainable but actually regenerate rather than deplete life-supporting systems and resources in a vibrant urban context. Eco-districts being developed in various cities around the world are now beginning to combine these strategies and technologies in ways that point to the development of very dynamic and regenerative neighborhoods. While futuristic, it鈥檚 also building on very real trends in communities now.