Small Municipality Development Strategies from a Sustainability Perspective
Author(s):
Deena Murphy-Medley, T. Martin Wiggins
Deena Murphy-Medley, T. Martin
Wiggins, and Joseph R. Herkert
© 2001, used with
permission
You are a civil engineer working in the town planning office
for a small municipality at the fringe of a fast-growing urban
area that is faced with a common development dilemma how to
remain economically viable in order to control growth (and the
associated environmental and transportation problems) and avoid
merger with neighboring municipalities (which would mean loss
of town identity). Recently, two similarly situated communities
in the same state developed strategies for improvement. You
have been asked to evaluate these development strategies on the
basis of sustainable development principles and recommend a
course of action to the town council.
As a civil engineer, you wish to comply with the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics and in
particular with their principles of sustainable
development.(1) You need to develop a
course of action based on long term sustainable development and
recognize that this requires systems that are economically
sound, environmentally friendly and supportive of community
livability.(2)
Town A has turned its dilapidated downtown into an
attractive antique mall and is focusing on the redevelopment of
brownfield areas. Town B, on the other hand, has implemented
dynamic growth management policies and is pursuing aggressive
annexation and industrial recruitment. You must carefully
consider the political, social and economic motivations, as
well as environmental and geographical factors, which led to
these radically different plans. You must also evaluate the
short term success and, most importantly, the long term
sustainability of each strategy in accordance with sustainable
development's "triple bottom line" of ecological, economic and
social factors.
History of the towns
Both towns were developed as railroad depots in the 1800s.
Originally farming communities, the proximity of the railroad
led to the growth of cotton mills. After the depression, cotton
never regained its prominence and both towns diversified into
tobacco, thus retaining their economic strength. Major
interstates bypassed the two towns, which led to a decline in
the downtown areas. The diminishing importance of rail freight
and travel further drew commerce and activity away from the
center of the towns and towards the sprawling type of strip
mall development that appears along the interstates. This in
turn led to more residential subdivisions closer to the
highways.
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How does "sprawl" affect communities in regards to
transportation, downtown areas and a sense of
identity?
The impact of suburban sprawl on the towns
Both towns gradually felt the impact of the suburban sprawl.
Their downtown areas deteriorated rapidly, most of the
buildings were in serious disrepair and both of the towns had a
poor self-image. Property owners knew these areas were no
longer economically viable and had left the buildings to decay.
Crime had increased in the older parts of the towns, as there
were excessively high concentrations of poor people with social
problems.(3) Neighboring municipalities
were beginning to encroach on the towns' boundaries, which had
led to a loss of town identity and no sense of community. This
had been increased through the amount of subdivisions that
remained outside the city limits. The recent growth of the
banking and technology industry throughout the state had left
both towns with a solid tax base, though the towns were
concerned that this could be lost as their towns became merged
with larger cities.
Both town councils identified the following goals:
- Short term
- To improve downtown areas especially in regards to the
redevelopment of infill housing, brownfield sites and
obsolete buildings.
- To regain a sense of community and identity for their
town.
- To create economically viable development that would
preserve natural resources.
- Long term
- To create public transport systems as an alternative to
the automobile.
- To preserve open space and scenic areas for the
future.
- To promote a smart growth plan for future
development.
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Factors which affected their decisions
Initial planning
The mayor of Town A felt it was important to keep a
"personalized" feel towards their planning and chose to involve
the community in planning and not to use private consultants.
She scheduled town meetings to question the community on their
values with respect to the environment, economic growth and
lifestyle, explained what goals the town council had identified
and sought input on how to achieve these. Further meetings led
to a variety of options for the town to vote upon.
The mayor of Town B wanted more diverse perspectives and
brought in a variety of different outside consultants. He set
up a small task force comprised of new and long-standing
citizens that were involved in negotiations.
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Sustainable development strategies
Town A
Town A voted unanimously to focus their efforts on
rebuilding the downtown area— redeveloping brownfield
areas— decided to create an antiques mall downtown. They
hoped to create a historic, tourist feel to their town and lure
in the businesses that had been set up closer to the
interstate. The town itself would act like a private developer
and market the downtown area. Incentives would be offered in
the form of subsidized rent for antique dealers and the town
would assist with promoting this new tourist site. This option
left them some leeway in their budget for future
development.
Town B
Town B's strategy focused on intensive urban planning and
aggressive annexation. They sought to gain a "sphere of
influence" over an area of 64 square miles. They looked at
zoning based on "new urbanism" and lobbied for transfer of
development rights. More consultants would be hired to design
plans for the new downtown areas and open space preservation.
Non-polluting industry would be courted for the downtown area
and brownfield areas were to be redeveloped. This option would
place the town in debt temporarily.
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Assessment of sustainable development
strategies
Town A
Short term
Town A's strategy achieved its goals at a low cost, since
its plan was market driven. The town continued to maintain a
low dependence on large corporations for its tax base. All the
buildings downtown were rented and after a short period of
time, most were purchased. Additional space is now being built
and converted in the downtown area. The revenue from antiques
in one year was $2.5 million.
Long term
Despite not focusing on housing, many of the oldest
dilapidated homes in the central area have been purchased by
the antique dealers and other retailers. This has led to
greater resources for municipal survival and has created spin
off services for citizens of all income levels. In the long
term, problems may arise as suburban growth outside the city
limits has not been addressed and there are no plans for the
preservation of open space or greenways.
Town B
Short term
Town B used a 64-square mile buffer zone to prevent
encroachment from surrounding areas. This buffer zone
incorporated much of the "sprawling development" along the
interstate and the subdivisions, which had previously been
outside city limits. The downtown area, including brownfield
areas, is being totally rebuilt and the industry coming into
the town is either banking, high tech or service oriented.
The town created new city ordinances and zoning laws based
on 'new urbanist' principles to control future growth; these
promote high-density development and interconnected roads,
making cul-de-sacs illegal. The development in the town center
will be a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses.
Open space preservation is perceived as a key community value
and built into the development plans. These plans should be
completed within five years.
Long term
In the long term, though plans were underway for creating
pavements to make the town walkable, there were no attempts to
improve public transportation. The population was expected to
rise from 3,000 to 26,000 within ten years, yet there was no
planned utilization of the disposable income of the new
residents. Private consultants are still key figures in the
town and problems may arise due to their overuse. The
annexation happened quickly, which may further threaten the
political stability of the local government.
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Your recommendation for a course of
action
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Notes and References