Green Cities? Growing Cities?

Just Cities?

Urban Planning and

the Contradictions of Sustainable Development 

protecting the green city ?

promoting the economically growing city?

advocating social justice?

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTidealisti

c

romantic

limited m

odern

applicability

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Planner's Triangle

Three Priorities Three Conflicts

Equity

Environment

Economy

The property

conflict

The development conflict

The resourceconflict

Social JusticeEconomic

OpportunityIncome Equality

Environmental

Protection

Overall EconomicGrowth

and Efficiency

Perspective 1

production consumption

distributioninnovation

Social JusticeEconomic

OpportunityIncome Equality

Environmental

Protection

Overall Economic

Growth and Efficiency

Perspective 2

consumer of resources a producer of wastes

Social JusticeEconomic

OpportunityIncome Equality

Environmental

Protection

Overall Economic

Growth and Efficiency

Perspective 3

DISTRIBUTION of resources services opportunities

Social Justice

EconomicGrowth

Triangle axis 1:The property conflict

arises from: competing claims on

& uses of property

Tension is between :private sector

& social intervention

Triangle axis 1:The property conflict

private interest

the public good

Environmental Protection

Econom

icGrowth

Triangle axis 2: The resource conflict

arises from:exploitation of

nature &

conserve resources for present and future demandsTension is between :

economic utility in industrial society

& ecological utility

in the natural environment

ecological utility in the natural environment

economic utility in industrial society

VS

Triangle axis 2:The property conflict

developed city

undeveloped wilderness

Social

Justice

Environmental Protection

Triangle axis 3: The development conflict

arises from:social equity

& environmental preservation

Tension is between :

Inequitable development &

protect the environment

How to increase social equity

and protect the environment simultaneously, whether in a steady-state economy or not ?

Triangle axis 3: The development conflict

How could those at the bottom of society

find greater economic opportunity if environmental protection

mandates diminished economic growth?

haves

have-nots

Equity

Environment

Economy

The property

conflict

The development conflict

The resourceconflict

Green, Profitable and Fair(Sustainable Development)

The Path Towards Sustainable Development

How are you going to get there?

What are the negative consequences?

The Task Ahead for Planners:

Seeking Sustainable Development within the Triangle of Planning Conflicts

Equity

Environment

Economy

Green, Profitable and Fair(Sustainable Development)

• understand opponent's interests and values

• express fundamental conflicts of interest

• !imbalance of power

Procedural Paths : Conflict Negotiation

Procedural Paths: Redefine the Language of

Conflict

• Assisting to understand others priorities and reasoning

• !One language will dominate the debate

• Conceptual level– Words to be understandable by others

• Empirical level– data collection– Integrate different analysis scales

Procedural Paths: Redefine the Language of

Conflict

Social word

Environmental

languageEconomic

vocabulary

Other Procedural Paths

• Political pluralism• Develop market mechanisms

Merging the Substantive and Procedural

• Combining strategies• Caution!– Not In My Back Yard– "My side will win, so why compromise?“– "I don't care" 

Planners: Leaders or Followers?

• TAKE THE LEAD in resolving such conflicts• IF NOT, must exploit those areas of conflict

where they have the greatest leverage and expertise

• seeking to resolve both environmental and economic equity issues at once

• “Planners will have to decide whether they want to remain outside the conflict and act as MEDIATORS, or jump into the fray and PROMOTE their OWN visions of ecological-economic development, sustainable or otherwise. “

• Both planning behaviors are needed.

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