Planning for sustainable communities : a comparative study of indicators of sustainability in six U.S. communities

Cities play a dynamic role in economic and social development and in managing the built and natural environment. Increasing awareness of the consequences of development in the environment and concern about a sustainable future has led many communities to plan for sustainability. Crucial to planning for a sustainable community is determining whether an urban area is moving towards or away from sustainability, which is gauged by various community indicators.

Sustainability indicators are quantitative and qualitative information, which assist a community in identifying its priorities and assess the community’s long-term vitality. Indicators that show trends describe the impacts of human actions on the overall health of the community as well as call for positive actions to reverse any decline.

This thesis explores the dimensions of urban sustainability and synthesizes the characteristics of “good” indicators of sustainability using six indicators projects in the United States as an illustration. A comparative analysis was drawn along the major elements underlying the development of indicators in the six projects, namely: Santa Monica Sustainable City Program, Sustainable Seattle, Olympia/South Puget Sound Sustainable Community Roundtable, Life in Jacksonville, Boulder County Healthy Communities Initiative, and Sustainable San Francisco.

The indicators were classified into categories and subcategories to identify the indicators common to the six communities. In addition, the quality of indicators was evaluated using a ranking scheme - representing a range of criteria - which circumscribes the appropriateness of indicators as measures of sustainability. By integrating the indicators used by at least four communities and the indicators that obtained scores of four or higher, this research arrived at a set of “good” indicators of sustainability. This set of indicators is perceived to serve as an example and guide other urban communities attempting to develop their own indicators.

This thesis emphasizes the importance of community participation in the quest towards sustainability. Planning for sustainable communities takes into account values and ethics and promotes community involvement in the conceptualization of sustainability and in making this concept operational, which can be achieved through the development and use of indicators. The involvement of diverse stakeholders ensures that the interests of all sectors in the community are considered and, thus stimulates immediate and appropriate actions from the community at large.