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2009 |
Minneapolis, MN and Aeon
Minneapolis’ Plan for Sustainable Growth puts sustainability considerations into all development, and includes target indicators and annual reporting. The city, along with partners like Aeon, takes a Holistic approach to encourage projects to meet multiple goals-- affordable housing, sustainability, alternative transportation, job creation -- for a sustainable city with high quality of life for residents. The city has ambitious goals as set forth in their Plan such as:
- Reduce citywide carbon dioxide emissions by 12 percent by 2012 and by 20 percent by 2020
- Clean up 100 brownfield sites from 2004 to 2014
- End homelessness by 2016
- Increase the percentage of people who enter downtown via alternative transportation (bus, light rail, bicycle, walking, carpool) from 55 percent in 2003 to 67 percent by 2013
The City has also established 25 sustainability indicators to track its progress, each with specific, quantifiable targets and incentives for achieving those targets. The Minneapolis Sustainability Living Well Annual Report measures the progress towards meeting these targets by presenting data and describing recent activities.
An example of a good implementation of the plan was Ripley Gardens.
In the late 1800’s, Dr. Martha Ripley, one of the first female doctors in the United States, founded a Maternity Hospital in the Harrison neighborhood that served all people, regardless of ethnicity, financial means, marital status or age.
The hospital operated until the 1950’s, when the site was converted into a nursing home. By the 1990’s, it was abandoned, creating an eye sore at this prominent intersection.
Recognizing its historic value (i.e., on the National Registry of Historic Sites), the Harrison Neighborhood Association (HNA) approached Aeon about developing this site. Aeon purchased the site in 2000. Construction began in May 2006.
City of North Charleston, SC in partnership with The Sustainability Institute
One of only two “garden city models” in the U.S., North Charleston was a bustling industrial city in the early 1900’s with Lumber and rubber plants, a large navy base, and other businesses accelerating growth.
Despite its original prosperity, North Charleston faced many challenges by the end of the 20th century. With many residents moving to suburbs, the City struggled with low occupancy and low home ownership. There were many impoverished neighborhoods and areas of high crime. In 1993, the U.S. navy announced that it would close its base.
In 1996, the same year of the naval base closure, the City adopted a Comprehensive Plan for the City of North Charleston.
The many goals listed in the Comprehensive Plan include:
- Housing: Significantly reduce blight and amount of abandoned properties. Maintain the affordability of North Charleston’s housing stock
- Natural Resources: Maintain and enhance the natural beauty of the City. Reduce stormwater runoff and non-point source pollution
- Transportation, and Land Use & Development: Provide a safe environment for pedestrian and bicycle use and increase the amount of active and passive park space
- Economic Development: Attract new business and industry
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