The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices

The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices

By: Sarah James   Torbjrn Lahti  

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Sustainability may seem like one more buzzword and cities and towns like the last places to change, but The Natural Step for Communities provides inspiring examples of communities that have made dramatic changes toward sustainability and explains how others can emulate their success.

Chronicled in the book are towns like Övertorneå, whose government operations recently became 100 percent fossil fuel-free, demonstrating that unsustainable municipal practices really can be overhauled. Arguing that the process of introducing change-whether converting to renewable energy or designing compact development-is critical to success, the authors outline why well-intentioned proposals often fail to win community approval and why an integrated approach-not "single-issue" initiatives-can surmount challenges of conflicting priorities, scarce resources and turf battles.

The book first clarifies the concept of sustainability, offering guiding principles-the Natural Step framework-that help identify sustainable action in any area. It then introduces the 60+ eco-municipalities of Sweden that have adopted changes to sustainable practices throughout municipal policies and operations. The third section explains how they did it and outlines how other communities in North America and elsewhere can do the same. Key to success is a democratic, "bottom-up" change process and clear guiding sustainability principles, such as the Natural Step framework.

The book will appeal to both general readers wishing to understand better what sustainability means and practitioners interested in introducing or expanding sustainable development in their communities.

Sarah James is the principal of a community planning consulting firm. She co-authored the American Planning Association's Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide and has published articles throughout the U.S. on this subject.

Torbjörn Lahti was the planner for Sweden's first eco-municipality and is directing a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was instrumental in forming the Swedish National Association of Eco-municipalities.

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Tremendous Book... - Currently, my city is undergoing a move from an average municipality to becoming an eco-municipality. This change would have never been possible without this inspirational book. Our city is working at creating a system approach to change rather than doing one little thing at a time just like The Natural Step advises.

It has helped other cities in Wisconsin to become more sustainable and it truly has a lot of ideas in it. It uses a lot of referesnces to Sweden, but still leaves room to discuss how North America is pushing for change as well. This is a MUST read for anybody who works in municipal government or is an active community leader.

Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Sustainability - My participation in a local "sustainable cities" study circle included reading and studying this book. The book is a study of the renewal that has taken place in Sweden. Faced with a collapsing economy, cities, with collective cooperation from businesses, the government and their citizens brought prosperity back to Sweden. What we mean by "sustainable cities" is a community that is self-supportive--an equilibrium. And this brings about a cleaner, more efficient way of life.

Sweden can be an example for us to follow, especially their developments and the sense of community. The U.S. is not Sweden, nor do we want it to be. Sweden is a socialistic country. That means the government controls more than it should. That's why it needs to start at the bottom, with each individual--a new mindset or outlook. There are things cities can do to bring themselves closer to sustainability without damaging their economy. In fact, with incentives, there may be new growth never before seen.

The book has many positives and negatives. Planning starts with the local municipalities, not the federal or state government. We need to be careful when we try and solve one environmental problem only to create a whole new problem. The book is rife with socialistic thinking. The authors would have been better off leaving "global warming" and politics out.

America is prosperous, it took Sweden a meltdown to come to grips with its future as a nation. In a democracy, with God as its foundation, we will stay strong. There are amazing things that Sweden has done, we should take a look at them.

Wish you well
Scott

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
How to foment sustainable revolution - In the 1980s, Lahti's hometown of Overtornea, Sweden was dying. The worldwide recession left the village in an inhospitable climate with no major industry and a declining population. Lahti organized community residents and developed a plan to revitalize Overtornea using principles of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Thus was born the sustainability revolution in Sweden that is taking hold in Europe and spreading to other parts of the world. This is not a story, but a how-to manual. The king of Sweden has endorsed Lahti's methods and seen a resurgence of vital business throughout the country while reducing waste and fossil fuel consumption.

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