How Practitioners Define Sustainability

How city officials define sustainability in their communities translates to the execution of these practices. City planning officials are the on-the-ground implementers of sustainability initiatives, and their perceptions of the nebulous concept frequently determine local planning agendas.

In "How Do Local Officials Conceptualize Sustainability as Practiced in Their Communities?" (Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 90, No. 4) Sarah L. Hofmeyer, Christopher V. Hawkins, Rachel M. Krause, and Angela Park examined how sustainability is perceived and practiced on a local level.

Feeling Sustainable

Using a unique nationwide data set of sustainability definitions in more than 400 city governments in the United States, the authors noted patterns of conceptualization and implementation.

Five general orientation categories were identified:

• Action
• Aspiration
• Emotion
• Process and organization
• Progress

Evaluating the association of these general orientation categories with cities' administrative arrangements, political environments, resources, and capacities, the authors concluded that city sustainability staff define sustainability in aspirational terms, instead of emphasizing progress or discrete actions.

Figure 1: In this study, "General Orientation" is defined as the ideas a survey response centers. The authors identify five of these orientations.

Sustaining Efforts

The authors found many sustainability professionals defined their work goals in terms of the structures, relationships, and arrangements that facilitated their city government's initiatives. Collaborative efforts, both between city staff members and with external organizations, were frequently mentioned to advance local sustainability goals.

This highlights the importance of resource sharing, partnership development, and multilevel and regional governance. Further research can focus on local sustainability, particularly city-led implementation, to connect concepts to action.

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