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Proceedings of the Urban Sustainability Assessment and Management Workshop
Citation:
Cabezas, H., T. Gleason, M. Goss, C. Foley, AND B. Michaud. Proceedings of the Urban Sustainability Assessment and Management Workshop. Urban Sustainability Assessment and Management Workshop, Chicago, IL, July 20 - 21, 2016. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-17/013, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This is the final report of a workshop held at the EPA Region 5 Office with EPA staff and invited members of the public to help inform SHC 4.61.3.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development’s workshop entitled, “Urban Sustainability Assessment and Management Workshop,” occurred in Chicago, Illinois on July 20 and 21, 2016. The purpose of the workshop was to examine critical challenges faced by urban communities and to explore opportunities to use scientifically valid metrics and frameworks to help communities find long-term, sustainable solutions. The EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) and EPA Region 5 hosted the workshop and actively engaged 30 experts from EPA, academic institutions, other federal agencies, and non-profit organizations.The workshop produced a broad convergence of thought on the nature and magnitude of the scope and scale of unsustainable U.S. and worldwide resource consumption and management. It provided a broad overview of the state-of-practice, the state-of-science, and the emerging research methods in urban sustainability assessment and management. The workshop highlighted diverse perspectives and generated lively discussions regarding the nature of the challenges for urban sustainability assessment and management and priorities for overcoming these challenges. The participants generally agreed that a key challenge is the lack of public awareness and understanding of the implications of the unsustainable trajectory of U.S. and worldwide resource consumption and management, which creates challenges for incorporating sustainability as a priority among other critical urban needs.The workshop resulted in thoughtful input regarding core research priorities for advancing the state-of-science and the state-of-practice in urban sustainability assessment and management. These include advancing methods that support evaluation of socio-economic co-benefits and equity considerations and align with local decision processes and authority; reframing the narrative and modes of delivery of information about urban sustainability; and advancing methods and uptake of participatory stakeholder engagement. Participants agreed that continued collaboration among government and non-government researchers and local decision-makers is critical to yield practical results, encourage uptake of scientifically valid methods, and help urban communities attain long-term sustainability. EPA and other participants expressed their interest in continued collaboration on this topic.