Sustainable Community Development by Court Gould

Click to hear Court Gould, Executive Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, define the principles of sustainability and what makes sustainable community development

 Court explained that sustainability is a process that is continuously adapting and changing to better maximize economy, environment, and equity at the systems level, which speaks to the need for regional coordination. Court said that the sprawling land-use patterns that have been traditionally used in the region are not cost-effective and contribute to the growing social inequity in the region. The challenge of sustainability is where we should more effectively use our community assets and avoid the costs of poor planning to the region.

Listen as Court explains how the Municipalities Planning Code and its amendments allowed for multi-municipal planning, which provided a tool for municipalities to work towards sustainable community development

Multi-municipal comprehensive land-use planning within the framework of sustainability and coordination of issues should not be thought of as conflicting with the state of Pennsylvania or the region's local control, because multi-municipal planning respects both. The Municipalities Planning Code does not explicitly mention sustainability, but Court noted that it references sustainable concepts enabling municipalities to adopt comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances, for example. Acts 67 and 68 of 2000 authorized multi-municipal planning, and allowed for traditional neighborhood development. Court explained that the Municipalities Planning Code and its amendments enabled multi-municipal planning to be undertaken, providing a tool for working towards sustainable development in the "bricks and mortar sense”, but also through the idea of the coordination of services across boundaries.

Click to hear Court present a case study of Cranberry Township to explain some resources that municipalities can use to incorporate sustainability principles into their planning

Court responded to a question on incorporating sustainability principles in planning and the available resources to help municipalities. The question was posed by Alex Graziani of the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County. Court explained how Sustainable Pittsburgh assisted Cranberry Township in comprehensive planning for a sustainable community. Cranberry learned how to use the principles of sustainability as a framework for their comprehensive plan. Experts on sustainability assessed the municipal operations and conducted an “extreme sustainability makeover”, recommending how Cranberry could conserve resources, become more equitable, and save costs. Alex also asked how municipalities like Cranberry can get assistance for sustainability planning. Court confirmed that Cranberry used state funds, and he mentioned that the hiring of sustainability coordinators is a route that corporations in Pittsburgh have taken to become more sustainable, which is a trend that could be explored in the public sector.

Other resources:

Sustainable Development Diagram

Sustainability Checklist

Sustainability Assessment Tool

Principles to Guide Cranberry Township's Sustainable Development

Click to view the 2008 Road to Excellence Conference Handout Booklet