Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability

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Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability
Case Studies of Local Government Success

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Background

This summary report is also available in PDF Format.

Case Summaries

INTRODUCTION
At the 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, the global community will assess and reinvigorate response to Agenda 21, the global blueprint for a sustainable future endorsed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The 2002 Summit will focus on action and implementation, on partnerships and on the strategies that will advance sustainable development.

Since the Rio Earth Summit, and in many cases predating it, local governments and their partners have instituted strategies for action that are accelerating the transition to sustainable, equitable and secure communities. Through local Agendas 21 they have established strategic planning processes for sustainable development, tackling the fundamental challenges of poverty alleviation, security, climate protection, and conservation of natural resources such as water and soil, among others.

In the preparatory process for the Johannesburg Summit, local governments identified a number of successful strategies for advancing sustainable development, which, if further supported, would accelerate progress worldwide. They called on their partners--international agencies, donors, local and regional stakeholders and all spheres of government--to work with them to advance sustainable development by implementing the following five key strategies.

Strengthen local government.
Strengthen inter- and intragovernmental cooperation.
Foster international solidarity and cooperation.
Build a new culture of sustainability.
Accelerate the transition to sustainable communities and societies.

Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability presents summaries of ten case studies and related examples that demonstrate the diverse ways in which these strategies are being carried out successfully in municipalities large and small, worldwide. These comprehensive strategies and policy frameworks, unlike isolated applications of technologies or projects, address the complexities and underlying causes of problems on a system-wide bases. Through the implementation of these strategies, local governments are:

redesigning themselves for sustainable development,
ensuring adequate resources to build effective local capacity,
creating effective working alliances to address the complexities of ecosytem-based planning,
mobilizing to respond to international priorities,
adopting sustainable cultural norms within their communities, orienting urban planning and investment toward resource-efficiency, and
creating resilient communities and cities.

The examples in this compilation illustrate how long-term, integrative solutions to local social, economic and environmental challenges have met with success. They highlight the importance of strong leadership and vision, community involvement, and the necessity for fiscal responsibility and meeting basic human needs. They illustrate the positive change that national policies and programs can foster, and the value of partnerships and inter-municipal cooperation.

And finally, the cases featured here demonstrate that success typically results from steady implementation, over time, of a comprehensive strategy that reflects a community's vision. Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 advises that the best strategies for realizing sustainable development at the local level will be achieved through consultation and consensus building among all stakeholders. The following case summaries bear this out.

Local governments and their partners have built on their inherent strengths to become champions of sustainable development. With the support of their stakeholders, subnational and national governments, and international agencies, this work can be accelerated to benefit the global community.

Full versions of each of the case studies, as well as references and contact information for the associated examples, are available on the Internet ( www.iclei.org/localstrategies) or by contacting the World Secretariat of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was made possible by a generous grant from the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Netherlands.

ICLEI would like to express its appreciation to the many local government leaders and staff that responded to inquires in the preparation of these case studies.

Thanks are also extended to the organizations and research institutes worldwide that helped identify local examples of the strategies in action: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), Metropolis, World Associations of Cities and Local Authorities Coordination (WACLAC), Fédération mondiale des cités unies - World Federation of United Cities (UTO/FMCU) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

Staff from ICLEI's regional secretariats and offices in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Toronto and the USA provided examples from their work with local governments in those regions and assisted with research. Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, ICLEI Secretary General, provided guidance and vision to the development of these cases.

Special thanks are extended to Jeb Brugmann, Prabha Khosla, Kim Peters and Sean Southey for their early contributions to this project.

Project Director: Judy Walker
Case Study Coordination: Karen Alebon, Heather Kepran, Jennifer Lee

Researchers, Writers and Editors:

Karen Alebon
Sean Connelly
Roxanne Eszes
Corey Helm
Heather Kepran
Michie Kishigami
Sonja Klinsky
Yoichi Kumagai
Reena Lazar
Kirsteen MacLeod
Tina Reilly
Holger Robrecht
Nancy Skinner
Matt Strand
Judy Walker
Jim Yienger

Stuart Baird, Lisa Henriquez and Oscar Pata oversaw the technical development of the Internet-based case studies.

The printed version of this book design by Hambly and Woolley, Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND

ICLEI
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is a membership association of local governments and their associations around the world. The organization's mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments to achieve and monitor tangible improvements in global environmental and sustainable development conditions through cumulative local action.

Local Government and the
2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
ICLEI is facilitating the Local Government Preparatory Process for the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. This work is supported by the Secretariat for the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development and major international associations of local governments, including the International Union of Local Authorities, Fédération mondiale des cités unies - World Federation of United Cities and the Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities. Over an 18-month period leading up to the Summit, regional consultations were conducted with local government officials and staff, as well as urban experts, concluding with an international meeting in Vancouver, Canada, in February 2002.

The local government review process assessed opportunities and recommended the five key strategies for accelerated action for sustainable development at the local level presented herein. The series of publications Local Action Moves the World, was prepared based on this process:

Second Local Agenda 21 Survey Report.
Accelerating Sustainable Development: Local Action Moves the World (Local Government Dialogue Paper) submitted to the Third UN Preparatory Session for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability: Case Studies of Local Government Success
Local Governments' Response to Agenda 21, Summary Report of Local Agenda 21 Survey with Regional Focus.

A four-day Local Government Session during the Johannesburg Summit is designed to allow participants from all world regions to share local government perspectives, priorities and strategies for local sustainability with the international community.

For more information on the Local Government Preparatory Process, or to review these publications online, visit www.iclei.org/johannesburg2002.

About this Book
In 1992, world leaders adopted Agenda 21, the global plan of action for sustainable development. Agenda 21 called on local governments to develop their own local Agendas 21.

Over the last ten years, local governments and their partners have built on their inherent strengths to become champions of sustainable development. Their strategies for action are accelerating the transition to sustainable, equitable and secure communities.

The case summaries in this ICLEI report show how these strategies have been successful in cities worldwide.

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Reports in the Local Action Moves the World series, prepared for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, are available online at www.iclei.org.johannesburg2002 or by contacting ICLEI.

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)
World Secretariat, City Hall, 16th Floor, West Tower, 100 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2N2
Telephone: +1-416/392-1462
Facsimile: +1-416/392-1478
Email: iclei@iclei.org
Web: www.iclei.org

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© May 2002, ICLEI-Canada. All Rights Reserved.