| The Greening of American Cities | | | | can change the environment and livability of |
| | | | a city. In the 1970s, city politicians turned |
| Today, merely collecting the garbage, running | | | | against conventional wisdom and instituted |
| a bottle recycling program and creating the | | | | changes and programs that transformed the |
| occasional park doesn't cut it in our | | | | city from an example of poor planning and |
| increasingly eco-concerned world. The | | | | urban blight into a paradigm of environmental |
| buzzword now is "green" and each city in | | | | sustainability and eco friendliness. Green |
| order to compete for workers, investment and | | | | spaces, restriction of suburban development, |
| tourists had better have a full compliment of | | | | use of sustainable energy sources and |
| eco-programs and environmental plans. | | | | encouragement of environmentally friendly |
| Pollution and dirty air are longer acceptable | | | | businesses are all examples of Portland's |
| byproducts of living in a city. Those cities | | | | green leadership. |
| that can provide their citizens with clean | | | | |
| air, clean water and a healthy environment | | | | Smaller centres such as Burlington, Vermont |
| are proving to more competitive and desirable | | | | and Madison, Wisconsin have used |
| places in which to visit and live. | | | | community-based programs to tackle issues |
| | | | such as pollution, clean ups and recycling |
| While the US federal government has refused | | | | programs with significant success. People at |
| to sign onto the international Kyoto Protocol | | | | the grassroots level do want better |
| and has steadfastly refused to recognize the | | | | environments and in some cases have put their |
| issue of global warming, a growing chorus of | | | | money where there mouths are. Boulder, |
| economists, environmentalists and scientists | | | | Colorado for example voted on raising local |
| are beginning to sound ever-increasingly dire | | | | taxes in order to secure more green space and |
| alarm bells. In response, many cities have | | | | preserve wild areas within city boundaries. |
| taken the initiative to address environmental | | | | |
| concerns in their jurisdictions without | | | | Larger cities have made significant inroads |
| federal support. Innovative urban planning, | | | | in recent years. Under the guidance of Mayor |
| green building, park construction, public | | | | Richard Daley, Chicago has been one of the |
| transportation initiatives and recycling | | | | most audacious in attempts to make the city |
| programs are now making many American cities | | | | more environmentally friendly. Planting more |
| much healthier and better places to live. | | | | than 400,000 trees, encouraging solar powered |
| | | | buildings and subsidizing energy saving |
| Smaller cities have distinct advantages over | | | | renovations for historic buildings have moved |
| their larger counterparts. While they have | | | | the windy city to the forefront of the urban |
| less revenue with which to implement specific | | | | environmental movement. |
| initiatives they also have fewer | | | | |
| infrastructure costs and often fewer urban | | | | A number of US communities are doing a great |
| issues like crime and poverty. | | | | job at putting their residents first and are |
| | | | inventing novel ways of ensuring clean air |
| Many reviews of "Green-ness" are released | | | | and clean water, finding renewable energy, |
| each year and the usual suspects of Portland, | | | | running environmentally-friendly public |
| Oregon; Bellingham, Washington; Oakland, | | | | transportation systems, creating parks and |
| California and Austin, Texas are regularly | | | | greenbelts, and enabling opportunities for |
| listed among the most environmentally | | | | community involvement. |
| progressive cities in the United States. | | | | |
| | | | The shift from global to local responses to |
| Portland is usually held up as an example of | | | | global issues has taken root in American |
| how committed and sustained political will | | | | cities and bodes well for all our futures. |