Sustainability and the Irvine Company
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SUSTAINABILITY AND THE IRVINE COMPANY Introduction The term “sustainability” was popularized by the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Bruntland Commission) in 1984. Established by the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly, the Bruntland Commission was asked to learn about the connections between issues of the environment and development. It held meetings on every continent with people from all walks of life and presented its report, Our Common Future, to the U.N. General Assembly in 1987. In its report, the Bruntland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Since that time, increasingly complex and layered definitions of sustainability have proliferated, with each interest group offering its own spin on what the term really means. Environmentalists focus on the need to use renewable energy and preserve natural resources; economists believe that the economic viability of a community must be sustained over time to earn the label; and sociologists want to see a balanced community where people of every age, ethnicity, gender and social and economic class can live comfortably together without having to go too far to meet their educational, economic and social needs. President’s Council on Sustainable Development In 1993, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) brought experts from different areas together to discuss sustainability in the context of the United States. Effectively implemented, sustainable communities would, it was hoped, act as a bulwark against urban sprawl, or low-density development that spreads out from the edges of cities or towns, blanketing vast areas in look-alike developments built without regard to the overall design of a community or a region. Urban sprawl results in the types of developments – such as rambling, cookie-cutter subdivisions and strip malls – that perpetuate homogeneity, make inefficient use of land, and rely almost exclusively on automobiles for transportation. Sustainable communities, it was posited, would be the antidote, preserving land and improving quality of life for denizens of such communities. PCSD adopted the Bruntland Commission’s definition--“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”—and noted that “while there is no single template for a sustainable community, cities and towns pursuing sustainable development often have characteristics in common.” Draft two White Paper Sustainability Definitions of Sustainability But the attempt to define sustainability did not end with The Bruntland Commission’s 20-word definition. The Commission also (more verbosely) stated that sustainability can be interpreted as: “The optimum integration of the three e’s – environment, economy, and equity – which can be achieved only when stakeholders work together to make decisions that take into account long-term impacts; the interdependence of economic, environmental and social well-being; the importance of equity between and among generations and different societal and ethnic groups; and the importance of planning to prevent problems for future generations.” PCSD established the following goal, which may also be considered a more complete definition of sustainable communities: “To encourage people to work together to create healthy communities where natural and historic resources are preserved, jobs are available, sprawl is contained, neighborhoods are secure, education is lifelong, transportation and health care are accessible, and all citizens have an opportunity to improve the quality of their lives.” The California State Treasurer’s Office publication Smart Investments offers this definition: “Sustainable development means land uses that support transportation options beyond more freeways and roads; a better mix of housing in communities and neighborhoods; locating jobs near housing and balancing job growth with new housing; communities centered around civic spaces with features such as tree- lined streets and human-scale design; more efficient, well-planned higher density use of land; and protection of environmental resources.” More recently, Joshua Wolfe, AICP, during the 1999 APA Proceedings, offered the following breakdown or “Building Blocks of Community Sustainability”: A) Access: Coordinating land use and transportation design B) Biodiversity: Preserving land, habitat, and other species C) Community identity: Building a sense of community, preserving local culture D) Distribution: Ensuring a safe, healthful and equitable community for everyone E) Eco-efficiency: Preventing pollution through better use of energy and natural resources Generally, definitions break down along the following lines: a) To environmentalists, a sustainable community may be one which uses renewable energy, alternative transportation (including walking), recycles and conserves 2 Draft two White Paper Sustainability water, composts and recycles waste, supports only environmentally friendly industry, and is developed in a way that does not threaten wildlife. (Economists may demur that such a community, in its purest form, is unlikely to be economically viable to build and maintain, and would resemble the experimental biospheres.) b) Some leaders believe that a sustainable community is a “balanced,” environmentally responsible community where people of every age group and economic level can live without the need to venture too far afield to meet their educational, economic, social and leisure needs—one which is economically sound over time; c) Economists may see a sustainable community as one that, over time, retains its value for residents and businesses that operate within its borders. Later, using Joshua Wolfe’s “Building Blocks” (which seem to capture the key elements contained in most definitions) we will gauge how well The Irvine Company is doing in its role as a responsible developer. THE DEVELOPERS ROLE How much responsibility should developers bear for the creation of sustainable communities? This is a topic that has subsumed almost as much time among interested parties as the search for a widely accepted definition of sustainability. The Irvine Company believes that developers can and should help to create an infrastructure that encourages the evolution of a sustainable community (using any of the preceding definitions). But The Irvine Company does not believe that developers can be held responsible for changing entrenched behaviors and attitudes, particularly in a capitalistic society such as ours where the rights of the individual are considered paramount. Ultimately, communities are a social construct, not a physical construct. Developers can have some influence, but not control, for example, whether Americans drive rather than to bicycle or walk to work; buy gas-guzzling SUVs; or choose to work close to home or far away. And developers may build high-density, mixed-use housing in an attempt to optimize open space and minimize run-off, but a majority of Americans prefer detached single- family homes, and as a practical matter, most developers will continue to provide what the market demands. (A recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders finds that 77 percent of respondents oppose single-family homes at a higher density in their neighborhoods, while 78 percent oppose multi-family apartment buildings.) 3 Draft two White Paper Sustainability However, in the view of The Irvine Company, it is the responsibility of developers to work closely with residents, federal, state and local governments, environmentalists, economists, business leaders and educational experts to create communities that are structured to make the best possible use of resources—including human resources, energy, water, and land—and that offer a comfortable, affordable place for people of every age, profession and ethnicity to live, work, learn and play. THE IRVINE COMPANY PHILOSOPHY Mindful of the uniqueness of its holdings, from the beginning The Irvine Company has sacrificed obvious short-term financial gains that the company could have reaped by selling off portions of their land. Instead, early planners developed a visionary concept: the creation of large-scale, master-planned communities designed to provide an optimum balance of working, living, learning and playing, all integrated in a logical and aesthetically pleasing fashion. The company is committed to the implementation of the master plan and holds a long- term view with regard to stewardship of the land. Development, while market-responsive, is implemented with the value of the community as a whole in mind. William Pereira stated in the early 1960s that “Master-planning is not only a matter of deciding what is built on the land, but what is not.” With this in mind, as the Irvine Ranch evolved, The Irvine Company worked with community leaders to set aside nearly 35 percent of its land as open space. The company continues to partner with environmentalists to optimize the use of natural resources, such as water and energy, within their communities, and with public officials and business leaders to create balanced, economically viable communities. The Irvine Company has had some notable achievements in planning for sustainable communities, with some notable successes, though inevitably, some challenges remain. HOW THE IRVINE COMPANY STACKS UP The balance of this paper looks at a few of the definitions presented