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Sustainability Planning

The World Commission on Environment and Development defined “sustainable development” as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While this may be a generalized definition of sustainability, it engenders the question, “How can individual New Jersey municipalities contribute to the global principles of sustainability?”

At RicciPlanning, we believe that communities can create their own paths for improving their local sustainability efforts through:

• Education
• Creating desired future goals or targets
• Creating indicators to measure progress
• Incorporating the community and businesses as part of a consensus-based process

Beginning at the municipal level through the assessment of the municipal fleet, the incorporation of energy efficiency building standards, locating new public buildings near public transportation, as well as examining local government procurement procedures, policies can be created to shape the future development and redevelopment of each municipality.

While each plan is tailored for each community’s goals, an early scoping session with stakeholders or the general public is necessary to guide the process.