Livable Cities
What do Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Hopkins, Minnesota. And Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts have in common? They all are winners in the Sierra Clubs search for livable cities.
Most cities in the United States are suffering from urban sprawl. Big-box stores are a normal part of the landscape. And there are lots of cars traveling miles of freeways where walking or bicycling is unpleasant and unsafe.
Winners of the Sierra Clubs Best New Development Projects offer designs that downsize big box stores and provide for walkable communities.
Top candidates for the award asked local citizens about their values as part of the design process. They located homes close to retail shops and workplaces. They redeveloped existing areas to preserve natural areas, working farmland and wetlands. Green building design and affordable housing were included in the planning.
The Houston-Galveston Area Council has implemented Envision Houston, a process that involves local citizens in creating a plan to make Houston a livable city in the future. Many of their suggestions mirror the elements of Sierra Clubs winning city designs. Imagine Houston becoming a walkable city with greenspace for all citizens to enjoy.
For more information, check out the CLEAN Living section of CLEANHOUSTON.ORG,
the website for CLEAN, Citizens League for Environmental Action Now.