Green Cities, Spring/Summer 2005, Issue 12

Editor Allan E. Dittmer Contributing Editors Issue 12 Russell A. Prough Spring/Summer 2005 Russell Barnett The Jeff Jack Kentucky Institute Mark French for the John Gilderbloom Environment Peter B. Meyer and Sustainable J. Cam Metcalf Development David M. Wicks U of L Partnership to Create ‘Green’ City . .5 Graphic Designer by James R. Ramsey Tim Dittmer The Greening of Metro Louisville . .6 by Jerry E. Abramsom The Kentucky Institute for the Color Us Green . .7 Environment and Sustainable Development (KIESD) was by Stephen W. Daeschner created in July 1992 within the Green Manhattan: Why New York is the greenest city in the U.S. .8 Office of the Vice President for Research, University of by David Owen Louisville. The Institute Managing and Reporting Sustainability Progress in City Operations . .15 provides a forum to conduct interdisciplinary research, applied by Jim Carlson and Joshua Proudfoot scholarly analysis, pubic service Portland’s Sustainable Edge: Policy, Partners and People . .24 and educational outreach on environmental and sustainable by Amy Stork development issues at the local, Sustainable Austin . .28 state, national and international levels. by Richard Morgan Louisville Waterfront Park: The greening of a city . .35 KIESD is comprised of eight thematic program centers: by David K. Karem Environmental Education, Environmental Education: The Keystone for Green City Initiatives . .44 Watershed Research, Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods, Pollution by Karen Cairns and David Wicks Prevention, Environmental and Green Building Comes to Bernheim . .54 Occupational Health Sciences, Environmental Policy and by Dave Imbrogno Management, and Environmental Children as Allies in Creating Sustainable Cities . .56 Engineering. by Louise Chawla Sustain is published semi- Louisville unveils ‘City of Parks’ vision; annually by the Kentucky Institute for the Environment Thousands of acres, 100-mile trail to build on Olmsted Heritge . .62 and Sustainable Development, by Mike Heitz and Jodi Hamilton University of Louisville, 203 Patterson Hall, Louisville, Kentucky 40292. Send electronic correspondence to Cover Photo: Architect’s drawing of bicycle and walking path across the Ohio [email protected] River on the Big Four Railroad Bridge. Courtesy, Waterfront Development Corporation The University of Louisville is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of age, religion, sex, disability, color, national origin or veteran status. This publication was prepared by the University of Louisville and printed with state funds KRS 57.375. This Publication is printed on recycled paper. Spring/Summer 2005 1 2 Spring/Summer 2005 Green Cities To most of us, the term "green cities" is an oxymoron. The word "city" conjures up images of smog, traffic congestion and gridlock, contaminated land and litter, decaying and abandoned buildings, concrete, crime, and poverty. By contrast, the word "suburb" is associated with open spaces, stately homes, green lawns, litter free, spacious parks, tree- lined streets, and lily-padded ponds. The images are vivid and the contrasts are sharp. But a subtle reversal has begun to occur in the United States. As more and more people have spilled out into the suburbs, they have begun to experience the very conditions they moved to the suburbs to escape: gridlock, crime, pollution and a rapidly increasing cost of living. As the once forgotten core areas of cities have begun to regentrify, urban areas have suddenly become more desirable primarily because they are more livable. Ironically, property that was condemned and stripped clean of houses and businesses and sat vacant for years is now some of the most valuable real estate in the country. Parks and green spaces abound, mass transit, hiking trails and bike paths crisscross the landscape, and restaurants, medical facilities, art museums, concerts, recreation, and other entertainment venues are easily accessible. Major natural resources like rivers and streams, vacant lots once used as open dumping grounds , wetlands and terrain not suitable for development due to severe slope or unstable soils are becoming the central focus for their beauty and use as green space. This issue of Sustain highlights some of the leading efforts around the U.S. to create sustainable green cities and the impacts these efforts have on the people who live there. As the authors make clear, the concept of "green cities" is evolving as more cities engage in the process. As the costs of energy rise and the health and environmental consequences of fossil fuels become known, more and more cities are paying attention to clean air; as landfill space becomes scarce, the value of recycled materials is increasing prompting municipalities to capture and sell reusable materials on the expanding market for them; and as streams and rivers reach pollution levels that no longer support aquatic life and threaten human health, efforts are increasing to preserve wetlands and bring once pristine rivers and streams back to their previous natural states. Since over 50% of the world's population now lives in cities, the time to take the concept of "green cities" seriously has arrived. Cities that once competed for manufacturing jobs, and more recently have competed for service sector jobs, now find themselves competing for intellectual capital. Previously manufacturers located in areas where raw materials were available, and service sector positions depended on large labor pools, the job market now requires cities to provide communities capable of attracting highly skilled workers from across the U.S. Jobs in the new economy are less dependent on raw materials, workers are attracted by the quality of life available in the community as much as economic opportunities. Cities with higher environmental quality are better able to attract the intellectual capital to compete in the new economy. It is for the economic well being, as much as anything else, that cities have adopted "green" policies and goals. Editor Spring/Summer 2005 3 4 Spring/Summer 2005 U of L Partnership to Create ‘Green’ City by James R. Ramsey President, University of Louisville Education, cooperation and planning are key elements of a I Conducting regular green issues orientations and pro- new plan to protect the local environment. The Partnership fessional development for employees. Support and for a Green City, which includes the University of Louisville, participation of the employees of each partner organi- Metro Louisville government and Jefferson County Public zation is crucial for the creation of a green city. Schools, has already achieved impressive results in the first 6 months since its kickoff in August of 2004. The partnership As I said earlier, one critical aspect of this project is that we has identified some of the challenges the city faces regarding will share information in a way it has never been shared the health and education of its children, waste reduction, before. We will trade ideas on how to save energy, how to energy use, natural resource management and creation of a recycle effectively and how to improve public health and “green” infrastructure, and recommends possible ways to environmental education. We will seek new methods of pre- deal with these challenges. venting pollution, and we will develop systems to ensure that the way we buy things reduces waste and protects the envi- The Partnership for a Green City formed in January 2004 ronment. when representatives of U of L, Metro Louisville government According to Russ Barnett of UofL’s Kentucky Institute for and Jefferson County Public Schools met to discuss shared the Environment and Sustainable Development, “the partner- interests and concerns. It builds on efforts already underway ship, which includes about 26,000 employees, 500 buildings, at each institution and allows the partners to join forces for 7,000 vehicles, 25,000 acres of land and 120,000 students, new efforts. has the clout to bring about substantial changes.” The part- Among the key recommendations of the partnership are the nership was paid for by a $51,000 U.S. Department of following: Education grant. I Establishing a task force of operations officers from In addition to the Kentucky Institute for the Environment U of L, Louisville Metro and JCPS to find ways to and Sustainable Development, other U of L units participat- reduce energy use in a way that leads to budget savings ing in the partnership are: and increased environmental stewardship. Schools and Colleges of Education and Human I Combining resources and expertise among the three Development, Medicine, Public Health and Information partners to reduce, reuse and recycle waste ranging Sciences ; Departments of Biology; Civil and Environmental from paper, plastic and aluminum cans to obsolete Engineering, Environmental and Occupational Health electronics, scrap metal and corrugated cardboard. The Science, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Epidemiology, group also will investigate ways to reuse construction Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Mathematics, materials. Geography; Justice Administration; Centers for Childhood I Forming a purchasing consortium among the three Research; Environmental Policy and Management; partners to buy “green” products and services cost- Kentucky Pollution Prevention, Sustainable Urban effectively. End benefits also include health benefits Neighborhoods;, and, Offices of Environmental Health and that can occur through the reduction of chemical expo- Safety,

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