Will our grandchildren’s generation enjoy the same quality of life that we have today? The last remaining acres of farm land in Hamilton County are threatened by development. County waterways are polluted, eroded and flooded during heavy rainstorms with urban minority, low income neighborhoods disproportionately impacted. Land is being consumed at a much faster rate than population growth and auto dominated travel consumes time and resources and adds to pollution.

The Regional Issues/Natural Resources Committee became interested in exploring whether efforts to enhance the Cincinnati region’s future should be measured as a guide to community action. This interest followed several years of exploring regional issues such as sprawl, transportation, air quality, the effects of population shifts on inner city, suburban, and farmland areas including schools, housing patterns and social/economic conditions, and land use planning.

Within Greater Cincinnati, many groups are involved in activities and plans to guide their work which contributes to the betterment of the community. The United Way Vision Councils are collecting data directed toward planning, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission (HCRPC) is engaged in strategic planning, the Hamilton County Environmental Priorities Project adopted seven initiatives to be implemented by community organizations or agencies, Northern Kentucky Forward Quest and the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce have data on economic issues, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is engaged in transportation studies among other activities, the City of Cincinnati has developed vital signs for neighborhoods.

Although individual projects help to attain healthy communities, it is difficult to know which are most effective in themselves and in relationship to each other. Across the country, communities address this problem by adopting measures, called "indicators", as a tool to guide community progress. Bringing together people from various parts of the community to talk about the future and develop indicators to measure progress yields the additional benefit of building "social capital" that can help the community function better.

In order to explore a sustainable indicators project, the League invited a core group of representatives from the business, government and citizen sectors of the community to explore the question. The group met and developed an informal consensus around several points:

• After identifying a list of regional development initiatives, it became apparent that a mechanism for developing a shared community vision is lacking. Community development indicators could serve that need and continued discussion of a process for carrying out such a project should proceed.

• Previous benchmarking efforts (originally compiled by Cincinnatus Association and since updated by the HCRPC) were intended to be used for planning by elected officials rather than directed to the larger community.

• A substantial list of sources of data was compiled. The group did not think a new research effort was needed.

• A new organization is not needed; rather a collaboration of existing initiatives should be developed.

The group was expanded and made more diverse in subsequent meetings. Participants include representatives from United Way, HCRPC, Citizens for Civic Renewal, NAACP, Leadership Cincinnati Alumni, Home Builders Association, OKI Invest In Neighborhood, Urban Appalachian Council, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, Forward Quest, Sierra Club, African American Chamber of Commerce, City of Cincinnati Office of Environmental Management and the City Planning Department, Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, HUD. An objective is to have economic, environmental and social components of the community represented.

From the outset, the group has struggled over purpose and definition of terms. Each of us brings attitudes and values from our life experiences to these discussions. By talking about and working through the issues around sustainable development, or better or healthy communities, we can come to an understanding of the views and values held by others. We will hear and gain an understanding of what others are trying to accomplish and perhaps how projects can complement or enhance each other. Models from other communities that have undertaken similar projects have been considered by the group and there have been discussions with national consultants active in sustainable community activities. Most recently three task groups have formed to:

1. propose a process to develop an indicators project;

2. propose an event that would inform participants about sustainable issues;

3. compile a listing of existing initiatives that are or will be producing indicators.

Development Strategies

Approaches to development are being discussed and there are calls for better ways to plan development. Some are urging use of "smart growth" principles as described by a U.S. EPA coordinated Smart Growth Network. The mission of the Smart Growth Network is to encourage development that better serves the economic, environmental and social needs of communities. The Principles are as follows:

• Mix land uses (housing, shopping, workplaces, civic uses). Take advantage of compact building design.

• Create housing opportunities and choices.

• Create walkable communities.

• Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.

• Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.

• Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities.

• Provide a variety of transportation choices.

• Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective.

• Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.

An allied approach is Sustainable Development. In 1996 the President’s Council for Sustainable Development established interdependent goals. These goals flow from an understanding that it is essential to seek economic prosperity, environmental protection and social equity together. Achieving one goal is not enough to ensure that future generations will have a least the same opportunities to live and prosper as enjoyed by the current generation. The goals are:

• Health and the environment - ensure every person enjoys the benefits of clean air, clean water and a healthy environment at home, work and play.

• Economic prosperity - sustain a healthy U.S. economy that grows sufficiently to create meaningful jobs, reduce poverty and provide opportunities for a high quality of life for all.

• Equity - ensure that all Americans are afforded justice and have the opportunity to achieve economic, environmental and social well-being.

• Conservation of nature - use, conserve, protect and restore natural resources in ways that promote long term benefits.

• Stewardship - create an ethic that encourages individuals, institutions and corporations to take full responsibility for the economic, environmental, and social consequences of their actions.

• Sustainable communities - encourage people to work together to create healthy communities.

• Civic engagement - create opportunities for citizens, business and communities to participate in and influence decisions that affect them.

• Population - move toward stabilization of the U.S. population.

• International responsibility - take a leadership role in the development and implementation of global sustainable development policies.

• Education - ensure all Americans have equal access to education and lifelong learning opportunities.

The goal of sustainable development is sustainable communities. Sustainable communities are places 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 citizens have opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. And what or where is ‘community’? Community concerns relationships to people, then to a place or places that we care about. The importance of a place varies depending upon individual interests and physical scales of focus. At different times the focus of ‘community’ may be neighborhood, metro area or electoral jurisdiction. ‘Community’ is what matters to us.

The Sustainable Indicators Project

Interest continues in discussions of a sustainable indicators project. The thinking is a regional approach might be productive at least initially because there is data available at this level. Essential to the idea of sustainable development is bringing together those working in each of the three major interdependent parts of the community: the economy, the environment and the civic sectors. This groups which is working toward sustainable or healthy communities will need to develop an understanding of sustainability given the assets, needs, conditions of this region. However, work must also be within more local communities and neighborhoods where people live and work and recreate. The sustainable indicators project could be the beginning of a long path toward a sustainable greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region.

March 2000