Culture and Sustainable Communities

In the face of growing environmental and economic urgencies, issues of sustainability and resiliency are moving to the forefront of planning, policy, and programs in cities and communities of all sizes. City planning paradigms are mutating from a focus on building creative cities to that of achieving sustainable cities. Internationally, this shift is evident among local governments adopting sustainability goals for towns, cities, and regions; creating sustainable community plans; and implementing community projects related to sustainable development. Yet cultural considerations, while recognized in urban and community planning contexts, are not integrated into sustainability planning in a widespread way.