Sustainable Communities

Abstract

‘Sustainable communities’ is a term that is widely used by policy-makers in many countries, but what constitutes a sustainable community is often a cause of debate. There are many different approaches to creating new sustainable communities and to making our existing communities more sustainable. A key challenge for communities around the world is climate change, creating communities that use less fossil fuel. Communities also need to adapt to climate change, and for housing, this means building new homes and refurbishing homes that are better suited to different climate conditions. Climate change has taken a dominant role, but other issues are also important, including using resources efficiently including land, sourcing food more locally, and reducing other forms of pollution. The article explores through the use of case studies of different approaches that have been tried around the world to create sustainable communities: community participation; improved urban design; using technology; approaches based on industrial ecology; and using green taxes and other financial incentives. Financial incentives and scientific arguments have often failed to convince people that new communities need to be built differently and existing communities need to adapt. The article concludes by looking at the role of the arts in presenting an alternative vision for a sustainable future.