Community Sustainability Planning as a Tool for Increased Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Two California Cities

Based on their professional work,:illiam Riggs and +enry Pontarelli argue that Community 6ustainability Plans can achieve community reliance through a balance of social, economic, and ecological factors. They discuss their approach and take lessons from case studies in two California cities, Morro Bay and Monterey. Since the publication of the Bruntland Report (1987) and subsequent passing of greenhouse climate change regulations (such as AB32 and SB375 in California) cities around the globe have been keenly focused on achieving triple bottom line sustainability. Such analysis evaluates the economic, social and environmental implications of development (Brown, Marshall, & Dillard, 2006). While in theory such a balance between social equity, economic prosperity, and ecological health presents a new paradigm for planning (Beatley, 1995; Berke, 2002; Knight & Riggs, 2010), it also presents serious challenges in developing and applying innovative approaches to balancing the nexus. This difficulty in implementing frameworks that support thi