The public and private sectors have common but slightly different sets of needs and goals when evaluating sustainability-oriented applications. Nonetheless, both sectors are instrumental in the push towards more responsible, holistic approaches to development. In this capacity they need to become leaders and champions of sustainability-oriented policies and practices.
However, there are a host of things to consider when beginning to understand and address sustainability issues. A broad framework is beneficial in understanding what needs to be done and who needs to be involved, as the figure below illustrates. This basic framework can act as a guiding force to encourage development for the long term.
To Do
In order to progress, there needs to be a comprehensive understanding on how to coordinate environmental, social and economic needs while retaining a long-term perspective.
The fundamental element of this framework is identifying all of the involved stakeholders and action items in order to view the process holistically. These stakeholders include a variety of actors: residents/tenants (current and prospective), the development community, corporations, municipalities and economic development agencies, lenders, non-profit developers, and so on. With a wide range of involved participants, the framework's broad applicability then can be specifically enacted depending upon the recipient or context.
When looking at the idea of sustainable development, any given individual is rarely able to articulate the full range goals and ideals encompassed by the concept. The discussion of ‘sustainability’ is easily lost in the language. Therefore, by establishing a holistic framework embodying the basic elements of a long-term approach to social, economic and environmental prosperity, we can create a blueprint for “developing for the long term.” This set of guidelines will also make it easier for the layperson to understand the various elements of responsible development (i.e. green buildings, LEED certification, social equity, maintaining biological diversity, etc.), and for people to develop an understanding of the goals and how to achieve them.
A cohesive, understandable program allows entities (governmental, private, non-profit, etc.) to make informed decisions based upon a synthesis of all of the involved components, to capitalize on this rapidly expanding market, and to become aware of the value-added aspects of creating a comprehensive program for sustainability.
To Avoid
Avoid the misrepresentation of "green" labeling by incorporating one or two elements into a building, project or development and then calling it ‘sustainable’. These misrepresentations may involve attempts to improve a bottom line, through programs such as EnergyStar, or a public image. While programs such as these are beneficial (traditional) energy reduction programs, they fall short of holistically addressing the impact of the project, or in the case of EnergyStar, they fail to identify innovative renewable energy solutions for the long term. Many forms of green-washing and green-labeling have contributed to the lack of progress in the ‘sustainable development’ market. By encouraging, or requiring, new developments to adhere to a more holistic approach to green development (i.e. LEED, Green Globes, etc), we can ensure that projects will continue to support environmental and social causes while still producing the desired results from an economic standpoint.
From these broad brush strokes of interaction and implementation, specific policies and practices must be developed for the special needs of the public and private sectors. The next two sections will focus on the needs of the two sectors and how those needs can be addressed to encourage responsible, future-oriented development.
