P/C 1: Sustainable Communities and Energy Policy in America

Peter Almlie and Omar Nasser

As the world population continues to increase, pressures on our natural resources have reached levels of demand never seen before. The very pillars upon which we depend for survival are quickly eroding before our eyes. As scholars and practitioners in community planning and regional development, we must develop interdisciplinary, sustainable approaches to maintain these vital natural resources.

One of the principal challenges we face today in a growing market economy is fi nding a balance between environmental conservation goals and economic growth. To address these challenges, it is necessary to devise well-defi ned, equitable, and long-term plans and guidelines for creating sustainable and healthy planning policies. These policies must integrate both micro- and macro-level approaches to these serious issues facing humankind.

In hopes of moving toward such a coherent vision, our staff has enlisted two esteemed planning professionals from the Texas region to provide insights into the topic of sustainable energy policy in the wake of global climate change and increased demand on our natural resources. We want to thank these respondents for their thoughtful and insightful contributions to Planning Forum, and we hope that our readers enjoy their responses to this year’s Point/Counterpoint.

INTERVIEW

How do you envision public policy and city planning responding to global climate change?

BRIAN It’s a little cliché, but the axiom of “think globally but act locally” really holds true, I believe, in regards to public policy and city planning. Local municipalities and regional governing bodies [council of governments] are where the most direct impact is made through policy, regulations, and city planning efforts. It takes forward-thinking and visionary local planners, urban designers, and elected officials to think beyond their immediate needs or short-term demands to “look out for” the future generations and the larger global context in implementing sustainable policies and goals. Luckily, it seems the pendulum of change has started to swing and people do care about their greater environment and their children’s future.

JAMES Thus far we are responding too slowly and gradually. I envision this as a growing priority that we may see as a driving force behind transit-oriented design and new urbanism. The pace may be picking up as more of our leading-edge jurisdictions incorporate energy conservation as a strategic planning objective.

The developments of technologies that bring alternative energy to a mass scale are important in reducing our dependence on petroleum. What role does/should the government play in developing and implementing these technologies?

BRIAN See above answers—of course “government” plays a huge role. Companies are stepping forward and need to do more— but sometimes the only entity that can implement such large, overwhelming changes and projects is a government body. JAMES The government’s role here is once again twofold, with a regulatory “push” side and an economic “pull” side. In city planning, our regulatory side is just starting to show positive results, but promises to grow exponentially. We should be reminded that the average European walks about one hundred times as far as the average American, on a daily basis. Is it any wonder that their cities look and feel so different from ours? There is a “pull” side in city planning too, as economic incentives are integrated into the new urban model.

How does your work incorporate the values of a sustainable energy policy?

BRIAN My urban planning studio’s work is centered around mixed-use redevelopments, transit oriented developments [TOD], and as a strategy/overarching philosophy of creating through whole community design. Our urban design work involves connecting people to their greater community: linking with transit, creating special places that have an enduring value and quality of life for people. Almost all our work involves some kind of brownfield redevelopment or infilling with strategically placed density that fundamentally encourages uses, residents, and activities closer to the cities’ cores, thereby reducing traffic, emissions, infrastructure needs, etc. By encouraging/designing denser communities [appropriately placed density—remember “density” is not a four-letter word], our work promotes housing options/affordability, expands transit options, promotes “walkable” communities, protects the environment, and ultimately encourages/supports sustainable energy policies. JAMES My work incorporates these values on a theoretical level, hopefully guiding my efforts in a positive direction. I am not presently employed in any capacity that normally includes active lobbying for better urban design policy, or energy policy, but I will defi nitely go to bat for these causes any time they are issues affecting my daily work.

CONTRIBUTORS

JAMES NIETO received his MBA from St. Edward’s University in 1989 and currently serves as the asset manager in the Portfolio Management Division at the Texas General Land Office in Austin, Texas. Prior to this position, James served as a planner in both the City of Austin Planning Department’s Office of Land Development Services and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. In addition to serving Texas’s public agencies, James was elected to public office as the Southland Oaks Municipal Utility District’s treasurer from 1995 to 1998.

W. BRIAN KEITH, AICP, AIA is the director of urban design and planning at James, Harwick & Partners in Dallas, Texas. A North Carolina native, Brian has practiced urban design, planning, and architecture in Texas for the past eleven years. His professional experience is centered on creating livable communities/neighborhoods through the integration of a variety of housing typologies and community uses. Brian’s planning and design experience includes a wide range of project types, including residential and low-income housing, multifamily housing, mixed-use, retail, government, and institutional projects. In 1989 Brian graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s of environmental design in architecture, and received his master’s of architecture from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995.

PETER ALMLIE completed his BA in Latin American studies at San Diego State University, where he focused on housing issues in Mixtec communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. After extensive travels throughout Latin America, he worked for a nonprofi t agency that focused on providing housing in the peripheral colonias of Tijuana. Seeking a greater understanding of the built environment, Peter entered the dual degree program at UT Austin, where he continues to study issues related to housing and development in Latin America. Upon completing his dual degree, Peter would like to continue his work in Latin American communities, either in Southern California or in Mexico.

OMAR NASSER is currently seeking his master’s degree in city planning at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. Focusing on land development and environmental issues, he hopes to pursue a career in planning for land development in ecologically sensitive areas.