Local Government Efforts to Promote the “Three Es” of Sustainable Development

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to find out the extent to which local governments in the United States are committed to the principles of sustainable development in their planning practices. This study presents the findings from a survey of all medium to large cities carried out in April 2006. The findings indicate that, instead of adopting sustainable development as a development framework, cities are adopting sustainability initiatives in a piecemeal, ad-hoc manner. A broader level commitment to the concept, as evidenced by presence of sustainability plans, indicators project measuring progress toward sustainability goals, or an office and staff devoted to sustainability activities, is exhibited by very few cities. Finally, there is little evidence that cities are connecting sustainability to equity and social justice issues.