Making Sustainable Cities Real

There is an interesting article in Imaging Notes that discusses the evolution of sustainable cities as a government objective in the US starting with President Clinton establishing the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) in June 1993.  We have just passed the point where over half of the world's population lives in cities, and given the sheer impact this many people in urban areas have, city governments are realizing the importance of making cities sustainable. According to the article, 600 mayors from across the United States and Puerto Rico in 2007 signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, committing to reducing CO₂ emissions by 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. As of December 2008, a total of 910 mayors have signed up to this agreement.

I remember reading last year that Chamblee, Georgia had passed a municipal ordinance requiring all private development 20,000 square feet or greater to become  LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. The ordinance also applies to future municipal buildings regardless of size. And I've just read that Doraville became the second city in Georgia to mandate LEED certification.

(Images of Portland courtesy of NC3D.com)