Transcript Building Sustainable Communities

Building Sustainable
Communities
Midwest Community
Development Institute
August 13, 2009
JERRY HEMBD
State Specialist
Community and Economic Development
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Associate Professor of Economics
Department of Business and Economics
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Overview
• Four “waves” of community and economic
development
• Sustainability and systems thinking
• The empty/full world systems model
• Community sustainability
• The Natural Step framework
• Some initial resources
• Closing comments
• Afternoon session  examples
Personal Context
• Forty years of learning and experience
• Extension state specialist – in the beginning and at the end
– in Wisconsin
• UW-Extension Sustainability Team Co-leader
• Sustainable Management degree (on-line, adult students)
• Community Development Society (including Journal)
• Local/applied commitments
–
–
–
–
Sustainable Twin Ports/Early Adopter Project (The Natural Step)
Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board (green jobs)
Wisconsin Arts Board (creative economy)
Green Collar Jobs Coalition (Duluth/Superior)
• International perspective
The Three Waves of
Community Economic
Development
Plus One
Three Waves Portion Derived from:
Blakely, Edward J., and Bradshaw, Ted K. Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice. 3d
ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002.
Drabenstott, Mark. “Rethinking Federal Policy for Regional Economic Development.” Economic Review, Vol.
91, No. 1 (First Quarter 2006).
Eberts, Randall W. “Overview of State and Local Economic Development Policies and Practice in the United
States.” In Local Governance for Promoting Employment—Comparing the Performance of Japan and Seven
Countries, pp. 87-102. Edited by Sylvain Giguere, Yoshio Higuchi, and the Japan Institute for Labour Policy
and Training. Tokyo, Japan: The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training, 2005.
Shaffer, Ron; Deller, Steve; and Marcouiller, Dave. “Rethinking Community Economic Development.”
Economic Development Quarterly, February 2006.
First Wave
Industrial Recruiting
1950s to early 1980s
Driver
• Export base
Goal
• Attract outside firms
Strategies
• Financial incentives
• Industrial parks
Keys to success
• Government funds for
subsidies and tax
breaks
• Industrial
infrastructure
Second Wave
Cost Competition
Early 1980s to early 1990s
Drivers
• Efficiency and scale
economies
Goal
• Retention and expansion
of existing firms
Strategies
• Reduce taxes
• Deregulation
• Industry consolidation
and cost cutting
Keys to success
• Health of existing firms
• Training programs
• Social and physical
resources
Third Wave
Regional Competitiveness
Early 1990s to present
Drivers
• Innovation and
entrepreneurship
Goal
• Enhance regional
resources to promote
industrial clusters
Strategies
• Entrepreneurship
• Clusters
• Building regional
collaboration
Keys to success
• Distinct regional assets
such as
–
–
–
–
Human capital
Higher education
Amenities
Creative economy
• Leadership and
development of
competitive advantage
• Bridging economic and
community development
The Fork in the Path
 Current trajectory
 Technical tinkering
 Incremental adjustment
 Paradigm change
 Sustainability revolution
 Radical overhaul
Fourth or “New” Wave
Sustainability Revolution and
Paradigm Change
Early 1980s and still evolving
Drivers
• Sustainable development
and systems thinking
Goal
• Sustainability
Emerging Strategies
• Green collar jobs
• Alternative and
renewable energy
sources
•
•
•
•
•
Local food systems
Sustainable (eco) tourism
Triple bottom line business
Industrial ecology
Valuing ecosystem
services
• Precautionary principle
• Eco-municipality movement
(The Natural Step)
Summary “Wave” Points
First Wave


External focus, business and industry
Physical infrastructure
Second Wave


Internal focus, business and industry
Training and social resources
Third Wave


Internal focus, human and social capital
Community and economic development
Fourth Wave


Holistic focus: human, social, and natural capital
Economic, social, and ecological relationships
Defining Sustainable
Development
“Sustainable development is
development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to
meet their own needs.”
Intergenerational equity
Source: World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. The Brundtland
Report. Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 43.
Defining Sustainable
Development
“It contains two key concepts: the
concept of “needs,” in particular the
essential needs of the world’s poor,
to which overriding priority should be
given; and the idea of limitations
imposed by the state of technology
and social organization on the
environment’s ability to meet
present and future needs.”
Intragenerational equity
Environmental limits
Source: World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. The Brundtland
Report. Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 43.
Evolving Views of the
Community
Environment
Economy
Economy
Environment
Society
Society
Unconnected or silos view
Interconnected or linkages view
Economy
Society
Environment
Interdependent, nested, or systems view
Community Capitals Framework
Financial
Capital
Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Political
Capital
Healthy Ecosystem
Vital Economy
Social Well-Being
Cultural
Capital
Social
Capital
Human
Capital
Source: Cornelia Butler Flora, North Central Regional Development Center, 2004
The Five Capitals Framework
Natural Capital
Human Capital
Manufactured
Capital
Economy
Society
Financial Capital
Social Capital
Source: Forum for the
Future
Natural Capital
What is a
system?
Conventional Thinking
Traditionally, we try to
understand complex systems
by reducing the whole and
studying the individual
parts.
And we deal with a set of
issues in a one-off or linear
way:
First we fix problem A,
– then problem B,
– then problem C
Systems Thinking
Systems consist of individual
but interrelated parts.
Systems depend on the
relationships among the parts
as much as the parts themselves.
These relationships make the
whole greater than the sum of
its parts.
When you dissect the system,
you destroy the pattern of
relationships.
Systems Thinking
We must
look at
the whole ...
… and not
get stuck
on details
Types of Systems – A Beginning
• Closed system
– Imports and exports energy only; matter
circulates within the system
 the Earth approximates such a system . . .
energy flows through, material cycles within
. . . finite, nongrowing
• Open system
– Takes in and gives out both matter and
energy
 the economy is such a system . . . it can
change in size
Finite Global Ecosystem
Solar
Energy
Energy
Energy
Source
Functions
Growing
Economic
Subsystem
Sink
Functions
Resources
Resources
Recycled
Matter
Ecosystem services
Human
Welfare
Natural Capital (Ecosystem)
Manmade Capital (Economy)
Waste Heat
Source: Daly, Herman. Ecological Economics. Island Press,
2004
Categories of Ecosystem Services
Provisioning
• Food
• Freshwater
• Wood and fibre
• Fuel
Supporting
• Nutrient cycling
Regulating
• Soil formation
• Flood regulation
• Primary production
• Climate regulation
• Disease regulation
• Water purification
Cultural
• Aesthetics
• Spiritual
• Educational
• Recreational
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Ehrlich-Holdren “IPAT” Equation
I=P*A*T
I = environmental impact of the economy
P = population
 growing
A = average material standard of living
 growing rapidly (consumption)
T = throughput (resource consumption,
pollution, and ecosystem impacts) per unit of
output
 technology term to compensate for P and A
Original Source: Ehrlich, P., and Holdren, J. 1971. “Impact of Population Growth.” Science 171: 1212-19.
Population Since
A.D.AD
1
World World
Population
Since
1
Billion People
People
Billion
8
6
4
2
0
0
400
800
1200
Source: Engelman, UN
1600
2000
Growth Trends Summary:
Past Two Centuries
• Population
 sixfold
• Energy use
 eightyfold
• Economy
 sixty-eight fold
“It took all of human history for the global economy to reach the
1950 level of over $5 trillion; in this decade, the world economy
expanded that much in a single year.”
Source: Dumanoski, Diane. The End of the Long Summer. New
York: Crown Publishers, 2009.
Growth Trends Summary:
1950 to 2000
• Population
 more than 2X
• Energy use
 4X
• Economy
 7X
• Food consumption
 3X
• Water use
 3X
Societal Pressure on Earth Systems
Source:
International
GeosphereBiosphere
Programme,
2004
Societal Pressure on Earth Systems
Source:
International
GeosphereBiosphere
Programme,
2004
Finite Global Ecosystem
Solar
Energy
Energy
Source
Functions
Energy
Growing
Economic
Subsystem
Resources
Sink
Functions
Resources
Recycled
Matter
Natural Capital (Ecosystem)
Ecosystem services
Human
Welfare
Manmade Capital (Economy)
Waste Heat
Source: Daly, Herman. Ecological Economics. Island Press,
2004
Finite Global Ecosystem
Natural Capital (Ecosystem)
Manmade Capital (Economy)
Source: Daly, Herman. Ecological Economics. Island Press,
2004
Key Science-based Analyses
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
►
two-thirds of ecosystems and their services are
degraded or being used unsustainably
Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC 2007)
►
the Earth is warming
► humans
play a significant role
Conceptual Reform in Economics:
Seven Big Ideas
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Adjust economic scale
Shift from growth to development
Make prices tell the ecological truth
Account for nature’s contributions
Apply the precautionary principle
Revitalize commons management
Value women
Source: Gardner, Gary, and Prugh, Thomas, Project Directors. State of the World 2008:
Innovations for a Sustainable Economy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008.
Community Development
• a group of people in a locality
• initiating a social action process
(i.e., planned intervention)
• to change their economic, social,
cultural, and/or environmental
situation
Wisconsin Eco-municipalities
Town of La Pointe
City of Washburn
City of Ashland
City of Madison
City of Bayfield
Town of Bayfield
Douglas County
Village of Johnson Creek
City of Marshfield
City of Manitowoc
City of Neenah
City of Menasha
Town of Menasha
City of Eau Claire
Town of Cottage Grove
City of La Crosse
La Crosse County
City of Stevens Point
City of Wausau
City of Beloit
City of Baraboo
City of Sheboygan
Dunn County
Village of Spring Green
Village of Colfax
A Growing Movement
Community
stories
Swedish Eco-municipalities
An eco-municipality aspires to develop
an ecologically, economically, and
socially healthy community for the
long term, using The Natural Step
Framework for sustainability as a
guide, and a democratic, highly
participative development process as
the method.
The Natural Step: What Is It?
The Natural Step is an
international non-profit
research, education and
advisory organization that
uses a science-based,
systems framework to help
organizations, individuals
and communities take
meaningful steps toward
sustainability.
 2008 The Natural Step
The Natural Step Framework
1. A shared science- and
systems-based definition
for sustainability
2. A decision-making
framework and process to
help organizations and
communities plan for
sustainability
3. A compass to help us know
if we’re moving in the right
direction
Source material from TNS Canada
Find fundamental principles of
indisputable relevance, and
thereafter ask the advice of
others on how to apply them.
Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt
Who Uses It?
Swedish Ecomunicipalities
City of Madision, WI
Source material from TNS Canada
Understanding
the Sustainability Challenge
The Funnel as a Metaphor
Resource Funnel
Resource Availability and Ecosystem Ability to Provide Vital
Services
Raw materials, ecosystem services,
declining integrity and capacity of natural
systems
Margin for
Action
Sustainability
Societal Demand for Resources
Growth in population, resource requirements as affluence increases, increased
demands as technology spreads
Source: Nattrass, Brian, and Altomare, Mary. The Natural Step for Business. New Society Publishers, 1999.
The Sustainability Challenge
TNS Canada
A Systems Perspective
The Earth as a system
Systems Thinking
“Systems thinking is a discipline for
seeing wholes, recognizing patterns
and interrelationships, and learning
how to structure those
interrelationships in more effective,
efficient ways.”
Peter Senge
 2008 The Natural Step
Cycles of Nature
Closed system with
respect to matter
Open system with
respect to energy
1) Nothing disappears
2) Everything disperses
« Photosynthesis
pays the bills »
Slow geological cycles
(volcano eruptions and
weathering)
Sustainability is
about the ability of
our own human
society to continue
indefinitely within
these natural
cycles
Slow geological cycles
(sedimentation and
mineralization)
How We Influence Cycles
Physically inhibit
nature’s ability to
run cycles
Barriers to
people
meeting their
basic needs
worldwide
Introduce persistent
compounds foreign to
nature
Relatively large flows
of materials from the
Earth’s crust
Four Sustainability Principles
In a sustainable society, nature is not
subject to systematically increasing...
...concentrations of substances
extracted from the Earth’s crust,
...concentrations of substances
produced by society,
...degradation by physical means,
and, in that society...
...people are not subject to conditions
that systematically undermine their
capacity to meet their needs.
Fundamental Human Needs
Subsistence
Protection
Participation
Idleness
Affection
Understanding
Creativity
Identity
Freedom
Ways We Are Un-sustainable
we dig stuff (like heavy metals and fossil fuels)
out of the Earth’s crust and allow it to build up
faster than nature can cope with it
we create man-made compounds and
chemicals (like pesticides and fire retardants
in carpets, etc.) and allow them to build up
faster than nature can cope with them
3
4
2
1
we continuously damage natural systems and
the free services they provide (including
climate regulation and water filtration) by
physical means (for example, overharvesting
and paving wetlands)
And . . .
we live in and create societies in which many
people cannot meet their basic needs (for
example, to find affordable housing)
“Knowing where we
want to go will help us
get there”
Backcasting from Principles
and the
ABCD Methodology
Backcasting
current
reality
...looking ’back’ to the
present and designing
strategic, step-wise
actions...
time
Backcasting from
Sustainability Principles
current
reality
...looking ’back’ to the
present and designing
strategic, step-wise
solutions...
time
Generic Planning Framework
“D” Step
 Right direction?
 Flexible Platform?
 Return on
investment?
time
ABCD
Awareness
Creative
Solutions
Present
Baseline
Future
Decide on
Priorities
Does it move us in the right direction?
Is it a flexible platform?
Is it a good return on investment?
Review - Key Concepts
Principles of
Sustainability
The Funnel
Backcasting
1. System
2. Success
3. Strategy
time
4. Action
5. Tools
Many individual actions and investments
(e.g. energy efficiency measures, pesticide bylaw,
green building, fair trade town policy, education programs…)
(e.g. Vital Signs, Genuine Progress Indicators, Life Cycle Analysis,
LEED, Ecological Footprint, ISO 14001, Local Agenda 21, etc…)
 2008 The Natural Step
Authors:
Sherrie Gruder, UW-Extension,
Madison, Solid and Hazardous Waste
Education Center
Anna Haines, UW-Stevens Point,
Center for Land Use Education
Jerry Hembd, UW-Superior, Northern
Center for Community and Economic
Development
Lisa MacKinnon, 1000 Friends of
Wisconsin
Jane Silberstein, UW-Extension,
Ashland County
Direct link:
www.shwec.uwm.edu/sustk
Intent and Content of Toolkit
• Premise  Local government can lead by example
• Focus on the internal workings of local government
–
–
–
–
–
–
Energy
Buildings
Procurement
Transportation
Human resources
Investment
• Provide ideas and specific actions
– Local government transformation
– Model of sustainable practices
www.capacitycenter.org
[email protected]
Four Challenges Posed by the
Transition to Sustainability
•
•
•
•
We need more accurate models, metaphors, and
measures to describe the human enterprise
relative to the biosphere.
It will require a marked improvement and creativity
in the arts of citizenship and governance.
The public’s discretion will need to be informed
through greatly improved education.
It will require learning how to recognize and solve
divergent problems, which is to say a higher level
of spiritual awareness.
Source: David Orr. The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror.
Washington, DC: Island Press, 2004.
Some things
have to be
believed to be
seen.
Comments?
Questions?
Northern Center
for Community and Economic Development
Jerry Hembd, Director
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Belknap & Catlin, PO Box 2000
Superior, Wisconsin 54880
Phone: 715-394-8208
Fax: 715-394-8592
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
http://www.uwsuper.edu/ncced