October 18, 2000

 

Projects Similar to Greater Phoenix 2100 at Other Universities

 

Atlanta

            Morehouse College

            · Urban Studies Department- focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to urbanization in the 21st century

 

            Oglethorpe University

            · Urban Leadership Program- focuses on the Atlanta area and uses courses, workshops and off-campus programs to learn about interaction between politics, business, arts, and community. Society for Urban Leaders encourages students to further the goals of leadership and service projects.

 

Austin

University of Texas at Austin

            · Environmental Solutions Program- multidisciplinary program started in 1990 to enhance interaction among academic researchers, industries, and other organizations seeking creative solutions to present and future environmental problems. Areas of research include industrial ecology, pollution prevention, air resources engineering, treatment of water and wastewater, treatment of sludges, site remediation, risk assessment, fate and transport modeling, and waste containment and isolation.

            · Urban Issues Program- areas of research include the built environment and housing, community development, demographic change, economics, natural environment, planning, urban form and design.

 

Denver

            University of Denver

            · Environment Institute- collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to environmental research; goals include: applied research to support environmentally and economically appropriate technology, business management practices, and public policies for improving community life, working with students, faculty and staff to become a sustainable university; faculty projects include: environmental land-use and developmental impacts, environmental leadership and public policy, ethics and values in sustainable development, public participation in environmental decision-making, sustainable community development

 

New York

            Columbia University

            · CERC- Center for Environmental Research and Conservation; consortium of five educational and research institutions; globally oriented, with a goal of creating long-term solutions to combat the loss of biological diversity and natural resource while meeting the needs of a growing human population.

            · Columbia Earth Institute- also a global orientation, but interested in the limits of the planet and its people, how we can make changes to benefit ourselves and the planet as a whole, how we can use information from various disciplines (including physics, biology, and social sciences) to make wise decisions for the future.

           

            Cornell University

            · EVI- Eco-Village at Ithaca; intentional community to explore and model approaches to ecological and social sustainability; community includes housing, organic agriculture, cottage industries, an education center, and natural areas (preserve over 80% of the land as “green space”); goal is to integrate the best aspects of urban and rural living.

            · Applied Research in Human Environmental Relations- studies the role of ambient physical characteristics in human well-being; focuses largely on the effects of the built environment.

 

Minneapolis-St. Paul

            University of Minnesota

            · CURA- Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; interdisciplinary program with university faculty and students involved in working on the problems facing the people and communities of Minnesota; Some programs implemented by CURA include the Center for Community and Regional Research (encourages social, scientific, and humanities research in northeastern Minnesota), and Communiversity, for community-based projects. CURA was also involved in the following:

· AUAR- Alternative Urban Areawide Review; a substitute review process based on review of development scenarios for an entire geographic area rather than for a specific project; Employed in city of Savage on Eagle Creek; a biology professor, aquatic ecologist and a conservation biology graduate student studied this environmental review and proposed beginning the review earlier in the development process, and following ecological rather than political boundaries in such reviews.

· Sustainable Lakes Project- to develop comprehensive plans for five pilot lakes in Minnesota. Based on sustainable development, the project includes members of the five lake associations and surrounding local governments hoping to find a balance between economic activities, environmental impacts, and the social needs of people.

                        · Minnesota Sustainable Development Initiative- collaboration of business, government and civic interests to promote Minnesota’s long-term environmental, economic and social well-being. Goal is for a future in which businesses prosper while respecting the natural and human environments.

                        · Urban Development Generic Environmental Impact Statement- Under the direction of the Environmental Quality Board of Minnesota, the project examines the long-term effects of urban development- past, present and future. Project is a series of research studies designed to explore and document the environmental, economic, and social impacts created by urban development policies and practices. Recommendations will be generated from the research.

 

Portland

            Portland State University

            · School of Urban Studies and Planning- goal is to assist in developing healthy communities through an interdisciplinary program; resources include: Mark O. Hatfield School of Government and the School of Community Health, the Center for Urban Studies, the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies and the Population Research Center

 

            · Center for Urban Studies and Planning- focus on urban policy analysis and urban and regional planning; areas of interest include: urban services, determinants of property value, transportation, regional development and economic analysis, geographic information systems, urban infrastructure economics, regional decision-making, urban environmental research and education, and real estate and urban development

 

            · Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies- serves the metropolitan region by providing new access to the resources of higher education for area communities, creating a shared understanding of the metropolitan area, it’s issues and prospects, providing a neutral forum for the discussion of critical metropolitan policy issues, creating partnerships linking faculty, students, and community groups to meet community and scholarly objectives, and sponsoring public service research

 


Seattle

            Antioch University

            · Environment and Community Master’s Program- goals of the program include gaining in-depth knowledge of environment-community dynamics of a local region; research of environmental issues faced by different communities

 

University of Washington

            · Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology- a research, training, and service unit specializing in the fields of demography and human ecology. It conducts basic research on problems of population composition, fertility, mortality, morbidity, migration, and population distribution, and on the relationship of these phenomena to social, economic, and environmental conditions. Projects in these areas are directed by faculty members from several departments, with the support of various grants, and a number of graduate students are associated with the Center as trainees. As part of the Sociology Department, the Center incorporates studies of the family, urban communities, patterns of stratification and social mobility, and other social and economic questions. The Center includes sociologists, economists, anthropologists, geographers, and other scholars focusing on a program of research and training on population problems in the United States and Asia. (http://www.washington.edu/faculty/facsenate/handbook/06-02-00.html)

 

            · Natural resource management- UW scientists are national leaders in developing approaches to resource management that will maintain both long-term environmental integrity and economic vitality. Faculty members have been influential in redirecting federal water policy, for example, to take into account this "big picture" perspective. They have pioneered important techniques--known as "new forestry"--that consider biological diversity, habitat preservation, and social issues as well as economics; and they are carrying out the scientific studies needed to establish sound public policy for managing Northwest salmon and other essential resources. (http://www.washington.edu/research/or/overview/tackling.html)

 

 

Washington D.C.

            APA- American Planning Association; national headquarters in D.C.; APA's objective is to encourage planning that will contribute to public well-being by developing communities and environments that meet the needs of people and society more effectively.

 

Other Institutes and Programs (non-University)

 

            Center for Livable Communities- helps local governments and communities with land use, transportation planning, preserving natural resources, conserving agricultural land and open spaces, and creating more affordable housing; several publications including a monthly newsletter, Livable Places Update, and guidebooks including “Designing Sustainable Communities,” “Land Use Strategies for More Livable Places,” “Street Design Guidelines for Healthy Neighborhoods,” also case studies with livable place profiles and model projects; CLC conducts Community Image Surveys to educate and involve community members in land use planning (based on Visual Preference Survey developed by Anton Nelessen, the surveys educate about what makes communities more livable)

 

Center for Neighborhood Technology- goal is to create and implement tools for making communities more livable; projects include:

                        · Partnership for Regional Livability- policies foster economic prosperity, environmental quality, and a higher quality of life; designed to help regions address large-scale problems like air pollution, sprawl, poverty and unemployment; helps bridge gap between federal and regional governments, and helps build cooperation between regions; currently at work in four pilot regions: Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and the San Francisco Bay area; projects are tailored to each region rather than following a uniform model

                        · Smart Growth- takes a holistic approach to growth, supporting solutions for transportation, job creation, and economic development while preserving and improving the environment

                        · Community Economic Development- helps with creating new jobs, identifying ‘hidden assets’ and developing a sense of community; facilitates communication between residents, community groups, housing developers, businesses, government agencies, and financial institutions

 

Center for the New West- goal is to assist the leaders of business, civic and political institutions in responding to forces that affect policy; focus on the West because the region defines the U.S.’s place in the global economy; think tank founded in 1991 to develop policies and strategies that emphasize the importance of leadership, technological innovation and market-based solutions to public policy issues at local, regional, national, and global levels; four program areas: leadership forums, economic roundtables, technology and society program, and New West politics and policy studies.

 

            Corporation for Enterprise Development- focus on fostering widely shared and sustainable economic well-being; advise and assist on community-based planning; working with the Nature Conservancy on many community projects

 

Growth Management Institute- encourages effective management of growth; promotes strategies and practices to achieve sustainable urban development and redevelopment while maintaining the environment

 

            Hudson Institute- public policy research organization that examines trends and creates policy solutions for governments, businesses and the public; focus on both domestic and international issues; areas of research include:  domestic and international economics, environment, and housing and urban development; quarterly magazine, American Outlook, publishes information on institute research; some projects:

                        · Urban Policy- focus on collaborative efforts with positive, practical results without relying on federal government bail outs; current research has used local and regional communities as laboratories for testing race relation initiatives, crime control strategies, and welfare and housing reforms

                                    Indiana- looked at race relations initiatives and Indiana’s education system, and created crime control strategies

                                    Michigan- created an urban policy initiative with benefits for low-income families

 

            The Natural Step- environmental education organization that helps businesses, communities, academia, government, and individuals to employ more sustainable activities; founded in Sweden in 1989; takes a systems approach to long-term planning

 

            Renew America- founded in 1989, coordinates a network of community and environmental groups, businesses, government leaders, and civic activists in exchanging ideas about improving the environment; presents annual awards for environmental sustainability for natural resource conservation, economic progress, and human development

 

Rocky Mountain Institute- fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and life-sustaining world; focus on corporations, communities, individuals, and government; emphasis on market-based solutions; some programs:

· The Economic Renewal Program- pioneer of sustainable economic development; program to help communities develop without necessarily growing by strengthening the local economy and enhance the quality of life without depleting natural resources

· Natural Capitalism Practice- consulting service that advises communities on economic development and other issues like land use, building design, water and energy infrastructure, and business development

· Rapid Growth- “smart growth” initiative to promote sustainable economic development; the Green Development Services focuses on the benefits of more efficient community design and infrastructure and makes these ideas available to government and local authorities; publications include: “Grappling with Growth: What to Do When You Want a Strong Economy and a Great Place to Live,” “Paying for Growth, Prospering from Development,” “Sustainable Development: Prosperity Without Growth,” and “Critical Thinking for Sustainable Community Decision-Making: A Community Leadership Tool”

· The Built Environment: Local Community Design- initiative to help communities design their built environments in ways that enhance quality of life, economic efficiency, and the environment, in the present and in the future; worked with community of LaPine, Oregon on a design workshop that matched community residents with city planners to plan a town center; publications include: “Project Assessment Worksheet: A Community Decision Making Tool,” “Critical Thinking for Sustainable Community Decision-Making,” and “Human Capitalism”

 

            Sierra Business Council- association of businesses working to secure economic and environmental health of the Sierra Nevada; work includes research, policy, analysis, and advocacy

 

Sonoran Institute- founded in 1991 with funds from the World Wildlife Fund to fill the growing need for conservation strategies that address both environmental and community concerns; operates in the western U.S. (northwestern Mexico to Alaska), working most closely with communities adjacent to protected areas or public lands with significant natural resources; examples of community stewardship (focus on economy, people and environment):

                        Bluff, Utah- small town that created the Bluff City Historic Preservation Association to protect their history, community, and environment from the worst effects of growth; some policies include raising funds to purchase an easement of the Curtis Jones farm (last working farm in town) to protect it from development, researching renewable, small scale wastewater treatment alternatives, adopting land-use planning tools to handle growth (especially low-density sprawl threatening agricultural and other lands)

                        Moab, Utah- local, state and federal agencies cooperating to overcome pressures of growth and recreation demands; trying to manage tourism and recreation without depleting natural resources; created the Canyon Country Partnership to ally county commissioners, state agencies and federal officials, and created a regional recreation management strategy in order to manage the more heavily impacted lands

                        Kremmling, Colorado- town lost its major employer and is trying to diversify its economy with new environmentally sustainable industries; traditionally relied on extractive industries (timber, mining, agriculture) as primary economic base; the Kremmling Economic Development Committee focuses on encouraging sustainable and diversified business development that is environmentally sound; committee includes members of the Chamber of Commerce, town government, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and local residents

                        Spring Island, South Carolina- island community developed to preserve the area’s environmental and cultural features; the Spring Island Company purchased the island and created a development plan for 500 homes and a golf course that have minimal impact on the environment, and established the Spring Island Trust- a community stewardship organization to protect the island’s natural environment and cultural history

 

            Sustainable Conservation- goal is to achieve conservation through innovative strategies that incorporate incentives and capabilities of the private sector; active in urban areas through Brownfields program

 

            Urban Land Institute- nonprofit education and research institute; initiates research to anticipate emerging land use trends and issues, and proposes solutions based on this research; publishes information on land use and development

 

            Worldwatch Institute- goal of creating an environmentally sustainable society by focusing on inter-disciplinary research; mission is to raise public awareness of global environmental threats to initiate effective policy responses.