2008/05/12 by Devashree Saha, Robert G. Paterson · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Environmental Justice and Health Disparities #Public Policy and Administration Research #Urban Planning and Governance
paper · doi:10.1177/0739456x08321803
openalex publication_date 2008/05/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
The purpose of this article is to find out the extent to which local governments in the United States are committed to the principles of sustainable development in their planning practices. This study presents the findings from a survey of all medium to large cities carried out in April 2006. The findings indicate that, instead of adopting sustainable development as a development framework, cities are adopting sustainability initiatives in a piecemeal, ad-hoc manner. A broader level commitment to the concept, as evidenced by presence of sustainability plans, indicators project measuring progress toward sustainability goals, or an office and staff devoted to sustainability activities, is exhibited by very few cities. Finally, there is little evidence that cities are connecting sustainability to equity and social justice issues.