A sustainable community is a city, neighborhood, or town built to meet the needs of the present people rather than compromising the ability of people in the future to meet their needs Keelar 34). Any community with the sustainable economy provides housing, jobs, education, and other services to the entire population with no limit to the consumption of the natural resources. Consequently, a sustainable community promotes equity between generations and other different groups in the society. A sustainable community attempts to integrate environment, economy, and equity better known as the three Es (Keelar 35).
The name of the community is Monroe County, Pennsylvania (alternative futures 7). Some of the organizations involved in the issue include United States Environmental Protection Agency, Monroe County Commissioners, Region III, Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Monroe County Conservation District. The objective of the study is to inform students that will become professionals in landscape architecture and planning in that county in the future. The county develops its own proposals for the citizens while it can gain immensely from ideas and insights provided by the student researchers (alternative futures 11). The county of Monroe faces numerous challenges regarding valued way of life that the researchers state as development decision making, demographics, and conservation. It is the second growing region with a high population. With no careful plan the new urban development will destroy some of the good qualities that attracted people in the first place. The county has a high demand for commuter-oriented residents and in the future, they will be a need for investments in transportation systems and waste treatment. With no such changes, the level of services will decline to the future residents. The county’s comprehensive plan prepared in the 80’s is no longer applicable since development has taken place on places not planned for earlier (alternative futures 15). In contrast, some of the developments planned for are yet to be executed. Some of the districts are not implementing the county plan. It is crucial to alter the processes and policies of making decisions to ensure the trend stops. The county has delayed in the restoration of the beautiful natural scenery since only a few scenes remain to date. Water recreational activities in the county such as fishing depend on the continued maintenance of high-quality dams, wetlands, and streams. The quality of the surface water depends on stream bank vegetation that absorbs pollutants that are carried into the water systems through run-off erosion. The county needs of a buffer zone around lakes and streams to manage surface water quality properly. In most instances, the commonwealth manages the surface but the management is ineffective due to overuse or under development (alternative futures 22). The county’s drinking water comes from underground wells. It is vital to protect the quality of groundwater since contamination can enter an underground aquifer that can travel a large area. The water has a high rating while it is extremely vulnerable to contamination in the areas of development or the septic soils. Suburban development threatens agricultural activity that contributes to the local economy since it indirectly attracts tourists to the landscapes. A transit-oriented development is a strategy that will promote the cities, neighborhoods, and transportation agencies.
Works Cited
Winston, Nessa. "Regeneration for sustainable communities? Barriers to implementing sustainable housing in urban areas." Sustainable Development 18.6 (2010): 319-330. Print.
"alternative_futures_for_monroe_county." Harvard University Graduate School of Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.monroecountypa.gov/planning_records/lib/planning_records/planning/alternative_futures_for_monroe_county.pdf>.
