The Key to Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems

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New Society Publishers, 2003 - 259 pages

Most of the world's population now live in cities, but despite wide agreement on the core values of sustainable societies, municipalities are so busy solving current problems, they don't have the time or resources to plan effective action for sustainability.

The Key to Sustainable Cities uses the principles of system dynamics to demonstrate how today's problems were yesterday's solutions. The book points to a new approach to city planning that builds on assets as a starting point for cities to develop healthy social, governance, economic, and environmental systems.

Gwendolyn Hallsmith has worked to build sustainable communities for over twenty years as a municipal manager, a regional planning director, and with the Institute for Sustainable Communities. She lives in Marshfield, Vermont.

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About the author (2003)

Gwendolyn Hallsmith has worked on sustainable development in many different capacities, including positions such as Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Town Manager of Randolph, Vermont, as the Regional Planning Director in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and as a Senior Planner for the Massachusetts Office of Energy Resources. She has a Master's degree in Public Policy from Brown University, and has had over twenty years of experience working on environmental issues. She is currently Campaign Coordinator for the Vermont Earth Charter and a Pastor with the United Federated Church in Williamstown.

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