Urban Environmental Problems: Future Directions

The future of urban environmental problems depends on the relationship between the public and private sectors. The foundation of this relationship is the civil society and how communities and individuals participate in decision-making processes. Planners reinforce this relationship by creating platforms for policy and physical planning, which promotes change by envisioning what stakeholders wish to see differently in their localities. Environmental planning has been modestly effective at influencing business practices and lifestyles. To change this, federal and local governments have to lead by example, pursuing environmental sustainability as seriously as they pursue economic growth. Environmental planning has its roots in the physical design of cities and the tension between conserving natural resources for human use and protecting wilderness. The current era makes sustainability the goal, tying together the ideas and practices of the previous eras and blending regulation and financial incentives to address national and global environmental problems, such as climate change. To reduce carbon footprints and increase water and energy conservation in the face of significant population growth require making environmental planning a political priority, with the goals of curbing sprawling land development and changing lifestyles and business practices (Daniels, 2009). Community-based programs have the potential to increase citizen trust in government, improve the biophysical environment, and foster participants’ ecological understanding. Involving the community in management programs fills gaps between what public institutions can achieve and what the community needs. This coproduction provides opportunities for citizens to develop ownership of the local landscape, which may in turn increase the number of community groups involved, and the overall geographic reach of restoration projects. Programs encouraging the public to participate in environmental planning and stewardship need flexibility to allow innovation and accommodation in the planning process (Shandas, 2008). Land inventory i) increases institutional awareness and political support for urban agriculture, ii) aligns urban agriculture with related sustainability goals, iii) ensures public involvement by creating participatory mechanisms in the design and implementation of the inventory, iv) draws on the expertise of institutional partners including universities. The Portland inventory enabled integration of urban agriculture into planning and policymaking and advanced social and ecological sustainability (Mendes, 2008). There has been little analysis of the practical planning and policy implications of the benefits of urban agriculture in North America. Interviews with practitioners and other actors suggest that UA practices vary significantly and face cultural as well as legal and technical challenges. These findings support the view that UA belongs within planning and that municipalities have an important role to play in facilitating its development (Thibert, 2009). References: Mendes, W. et al. “ Using Land Inventories to Plan for Urban Agriculture”, Journal of the American Planning Association, v. 74, n. 4, 2008. Shandas, V. “Fostering Green Communities Through Civic Engagement”, Journal of the American Planning Association, v.74, n. 4, 2008. Daniels, T. “A Tail Across Time”, Journal of the American Planning Association, n. 75, n. 2, 2009. Thibert, J. “Making Local Planning Work for Urban Agriculture in the North American Context”, Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2009.