Sustaining PlacesBruce A. Knight FAICPPresidentAmerican Planning Association

Our Mission: The American Planning Association provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in community planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to effect positive change.

Climate Change and Sustainability

Climate Change and Sustainability

PlanningClimate Change IssueAugust/September 2007

Policy Guide on Planning and Climate Change April 2008

Delta Urbanism – Living in Wet Environments, multi-part initiative

Dutch Dialogues

Climate Change and Sustainability

EPA 430-R-10-007April 2010www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.html

Worldwide Focus

AquaTerra: Amsterdam, Netherlands

5th World Water Forum: Istanbul, Turkey

APA International Symposium: New Orleans, USA

What Can Planners Add?• Comprehensive viewpoints• Prioritizing people: safety and

livability• Commitment to equity and

inclusive planning processes• Long range thinking:

development with planning• Vision and Leadership

APA’s Sustaining Places Initiative

Sustaining Places Task Force• Examining how

sustainability can be incorporated into Comprehensive Plans

Sustaining Places Task Force – Draft Report Outline

1. Introduction to “Sustaining Places”  2.Sustainability in Cities and Regions3.The Comprehensive Plan4.Sustaining Places with the Comprehensive Plan5.Sustaining the Plan (Implementation)6. Best Practices – Planning for Sustaining Places7. Conclusions and Recommendations

Sustaining Places Initiative

Includes a wide range of activities :•Rebuilding America•National Centers for Planning•Supertopic•Federal Policy and Program Briefing•Conference Track•Magazine Issue•Blog and Social Media•Sustaining Places Task Force on the Comprehensive Plan

Sustaining Places DayAPA Federal Policy & Program Briefing Washington, D.C. • September 26-28, 2010

APA National Infrastructure Investment Task Force

REBUILDING AMERICA10 Key Recommendations

1. Create a New National Vision2. Reconnect Planning &

Infrastructure Investment3. Recognize the connection between

land use patterns and the sustainability of infrastructure

4. Promote a Regional Framework for Strategic Investment in Infrastructure

5. Take a Life Cycle Approach and promote research to better understand

6. Encourage Integrated Planning & Coordinated Investment

7. Planners lead a collaboration across disciplines.

8. Create a ‘Place Based’ and ‘Place Making’ Focus in Investment and Policy

9. Focus Sustainability in Comprehensive Planning

10. Provide New Training, Capacity Building, and Education for Decision-Makers

REBUILDING AMERICA10 Key Recommendations

• Engagement of Rebuilding America with other Design Professions

• Policy Advocacy• Recommendations in APA’s

Sustaining Places Initiative• More information on the Rebuilding

America National Infrastructure Task Force Initiative is available on the APA website:

www.planning.org/policy/infrastructure

REBUILDING AMERICANext Steps:

APA National Centers for Planning:

Hazards Planning Research Center

Green Communities Research Center

Planning and Community Health Research Center

Priority Issues• Reducing the impact of

development on the natural environment

• Improving environmental quality for residents

Green Communities Research Center

Green Communities Research CenterTopics Sustainable design and green

building Climate change, clean

energy, and energy efficiency Urban parks, greenways, and

urban forestry Wetlands, source water

protection, and watershed management

Habitat protection and biodiversity

Riparian corridors and natural stormwater systems

Green Communities Research Center

Current Projects Strategies for Wind Energy

Implementation Wildlife Habitat Protection

Project: Planning for a New Energy and Climate FutureIn partnership with the Environmental and Energy Study

Institute (EESI)

Project Information• Database• Call for Case Studies• Report• Resources• Climate Change Reader

Planners Energy and Climate Change Database

APA Energy and Climate Change Resources

Energy and Climate Resources:• APA Policy Guide on Climate Change (pdf)• APA Policy Guide on Energy

Planning Advisory Service (PAS):• QuickNotes 13: Climate Change and Energy (pdf)• Essential Info Packet 18: Planning and Zoning for

Renewable Energy (pdf)• PAS Memo - January/February 2009: Integrating Energy

and Climate into Planning• PAS Memo - March/April 2006: The Role of Planning in the

New Energy Era

Climate Change Reader - Online

Six Cautions on Sustainability

Beware of fads and embed sustainability in basic practices. 

What’s our evidence base?   

Do we have shared values?   

Garbage in, garbage Out.

Are our solutions scaled to the magnitude of the problem? 

http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi

Vested interests.  

Conclusion…

• It is time for Planners to step up and lead in this movement.

• We need to hone our leadership skills• We need to reinvent our plans to meet the

demands of new challenges• Planners should act to establish collaborative

efforts among all the design professions• APA is a key link to making this happen