Defining Sustainability in City Policy: A Resilient Communities Project–GreenStep Cities Guide

Abstract

Planning for sustainability promotes responsible development that protects the health, safety, and general welfare of our communities. A key part of any local sustainability effort is defining what sustainability means in a given community. This resources offers guidance to cities interested in integrating sustainability into planning, development, and key city operations. Included is a model resolution for adopting a definition of sustainability. This document has been prepared by the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP) for the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program. This resource was developed from a report completed by students through a partnership between RCP and the City of North St. Paul, Minnesota, during the 2013–2014 academic year. Although the original report was developed for a specific community, students’ findings and recommendations have been synthesized and generalized, and additional research has been conducted where necessary, to produce a resource that is relevant to communities throughout Minnesota. The original student report can be found at https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/194807.