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18 Planning May 1993 and the kind of civic architecture that and meaningful employment. Such a city promotes interaction among different so- seeks to act fairly in siting hazardous land cial and economic groups. uses so poor and minority areas won't •The socially just city The communities we are talking about share a concern for all their citizens. They seek to eradicate poverty and ensure a dignified life for all residents. They strive to create spatial patterns and living envi- ronments in which all individuals and groups are treated fairly. And they in- volve all social and economic groups in decision making. More specifically, a socially just city provides equal opportunity to all its resi- dents. That means access to basic public facilities and services, such as health care, schools, and transportation, and adequate bear the brunt. Sustainable communities provide hous- ing opportunities for all their residents. Under Oregon's state land-use planning law, for example, all cities must ensure that enough land is zoned to accommo- date the full spectrum of housing types. In Massachusetts, local zoning can be overruled if affordable housing is at stake. And in New Jersey, state law obliges localities to provide their fair share of the affordable housing needed in their region. Sustainable communities are demo- cratic. They develop planning processes and decision structures that encourage public participation, and the involvement 0 9 U y a: _: _ y `-y^ Bamberton, near Victoria, British Columbia, calls itself the "first sustainable community. " The Miami firm of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk was hired by the What It Means to You Admittedly, sustainability is a term. whose exact meaning is exceedingly hard to pin down. But to its proponents, there's no doubt that it's worth the effort. "There is a lot of evidence," says the University of North Carolina's David Brower, "that con- tinuing our current development patterns and practices will lead to catastrophe. It is our obligation as human beings, and specially as planners, to work toward the objective of ustainability." To that end, Brower is offering atwo-semester graduate planning course on sustainability beginning next fall. The first semester will examine the literature and."figure out how the idea can be incorporated into planning practice." The reading list will include Vice President Gore's Earth in the Balance and Choosing a Sustainable Future, the report on the Rio Earth Summit, published recently by Island Press (800-828-1302. The spring semester will be a workshop focused on a particular community. Tim Beatley says the University of Virginia offers a graduate seminar on the topic. Its aim is "to get students to think about how sustainability relates to urban planning and to cities." Both authors are also on the conference circuit. Brower will be part of a "Sustainable Cities" panel during this month's national APA conference in Chicago. It's one of several ses- sions on the topic. In June, Chicago hosts the American Insti- tute of Architects conference, which has adopted sustainability as its general theme. APA has become involved on another front, as a participant in the 40-member Alliance for a Sustainable Materials Economy. In February, the group sent a letter to President Clinton, urging his administration to work toward aresource-efficient economy by offering tax credits for community-based environmental enterprises, buying recycled products, supporting public-pri- vate materials recovery partnerships, and creating a special commission "charged with furthering national policies to cre- ate an economy that protects the environment, conserves atural resources, and employs our people." According to Andrew Euston, senior urban design and en- ergy program officer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and in many ways the leading figure in the "sustainability movement," the real action is on the local level. Six years ago, Euston started the "Sustainable Cities Project," which focused on energy-conservation activities in three cities, San Jose and San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. The project is explained in a 1991 book published by Public Technology, Inc., (call PTI at 202-626-2400 for ordering infor- mation. Aworkbook isavailable from the energy office in each of the three cities. Euston's particular interest now is to create what he calls t "civic coalitions for sustainability." His model is a group he ~~~,