Progress 04/01/14 to 03/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:One target audience, as described in our proposal, consists of practitioners. These are the local, state, and national policymakers who initiate and shape local government policy around issues of the environment and economic development. Such officials have been the target audience throughout the entirety of the project. We have employed multiple methods to reach these practitioners. Many of these outreach avenues arise due to our ongoing engagement with professional organizational partners. We worked closely with the International City / County Management Association as well as the Small Town and Rural Division and Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association. We also engaged state level chapters of these organizations. We presented at numerous conferences, participated webinars, and wrote articles for the professional publication of these organizations. A second target audience is the group of graduate students with which we work. Over the course of the project we sought to help students understand the context of local policymaking with a focus on environmental and economic development issues. We did these through class assignments, workshop classes, masters and PhD projects, and conference attendance and presentation opportunities. We also provided students with an introduction to research methods as well as opportunities to practice and critique research strategies. Students continue to be engaged in survey preparation and data analysis. A number have also contributed sufficiently to appear as co-authors of various peer-review journal articles and book chapters as well as presentations. A third target audience is academics. We have published several papers and presented at several conferences, enriching our work and that of others through scholarly exchange. Changes/Problems:Survey data from the 2014 Economic Development Survey and the 2015 Sustainability Survey is being archived for public use by ICMA instead of Cornell. ICMA is in a better position to make this data available to both the practitioner and research community, as ICMA is recognized as the repository for local government survey data on best practices. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this project we have been able to engage and train masters and PhD students at Cornell University and Binghamton University. They come from the disciplines of City and Regional Planning, Public Administration, and Sustainable Communities. The activities we have undertaken with them include: Students in Warner's workshops learned about local government, sustainability policy and how to engage research in policy debates. In Spring 2017, eight teams of Binghamton University students in Dr. Homsy's classes, investigated the drivers of sustainability policymaking in small, suburban, and urban municipalities. This group project followed training in qualitative data gathering and analysis. Warner and Homsy co-authored with a Cornell University graduate student a paper in the Economic Development Quarterly titled, "Environment, Equity, and Economic Development Goals: Understanding Differences in Local Economic Development Strategies." Xue Zhang, a PhD student, presented on the links between economic development and sustainability at the Regional Science Association Conference in November 2015. Warner worked with a student to conduct a focus group with city managers at the International City County Management Association Meeting in September 2014. Homsy worked with a Binghamton University undergraduate student in the McNair Research program to produce an issue brief for professionals about zoning incentives. A graduate student, Lu Liao, conducted a number of statistical analyses of the sustainability survey and presented the work in collaboration with Homsy and Warner at the 2018 Urban Affairs Conference in Toronto, the .2017 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, and the 2017 Rural Sociology conference in Columbus, OH. Cory Mann, graduate student, studied water utility policy and participated in a workshop in Montreal on water utilities. Graduate student, Pilar Marimon, worked on regional sustainability. Graduates students Austin Aldag, Allison Tse, Marisa Turesky and Amanda Micklow helped with data analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination to communities of interest is through extension issue briefs and webinars and conferences to practitioners, through workshops and issue briefs written with students, and to academics through presentations at conferences. Examples given below. Practitioner outreach efforts In February 2017, co-PI Homsy presented the research to business executives and government officials of the State University of New York Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier (SUNY BEST). Warner and Homsy made two presentations to the professionals gathered in Kansas City for the International City / County Management Association in September 2016. The full session as titled: "Sustainability and Local Government - Linking the Environment and the Economy" and the smaller Learning Lounge session was "Sustainability and Local Government." In September 2016, co-PI Homsy participated in another webinar sponsored by the Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association. It was titled, "Measuring Sustainability Outcomes: Easier Said than Done?" and can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZz40HdIkNw. Warner and Homsy presented their research to the Shanghai (China) Municipal Planning Institute. Their presentation, "Sustainability in US Cities: Environment, Economic, Social" was in June 2016. In May 2016, Warner and Homsy participated in a webinar sponsored by the Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association. The webinar was titled, "Local Government Sustainability: Practices and Promises." Warner, Homsy, and a graduate student published an article in the professional magazine of the International City/County Management Association called Local Government Review. The article was titled "Sustainability and Local Governments: Planning Helps Balance Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Priorities" and it was published in the December 2016 issue. Binghamton University, Cornell, University, and the International City / County Management Association published summary results of the Sustainability Survey of Local Governments. Homsy worked with a Binghamton University undergraduate student and a practicing planner to produce an issue brief for professionals about the zoning incentives used to encourage environmental protection and economic development. Warner met with leaders of the Small Town and Rural Division and Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association at their 2015 national conference in Seattle, Washington to brief them on the project. Warner participated in the review of the Sustainability Policy guide for the American Planning Association. Her comments focused on the needs and special interests of rural communities and their efforts at environmental and economic sustainability. Homsy presented research to urban planners from across the northeastern United States in June 2015 at the northeast regional American Planning Association conference in Saratoga Springs, New York. Warner and Homsy invited partners from the International City/County Management Association to Cornell University to discuss focus groups, survey protocol, analysis, and results dissemination in October 2015. An issue brief titled "Defying the Odds: Sustainability in Small and Rural Places" was distributed to ICMA practitioners via the organization's website. It was subsequently picked up by and discussed in a Huffington Post article about bringing sustainability to small town America (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/f-kaid-benfield/bringing-sustainability-t_b_6519830.html) Warner conducted key informant interviews with the leaders of the Small Town and Rural Division and the Sustainability Division of the American Planning Association in April 2014. Warner and a student conducted a focus group with city managers at the International City County Management Association Meeting in September 2014. This focus group and the key informant interviews not only helped with research, but began a series of contacts and connections with practitioners that deepened over time. Student outreach efforts In Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, Warner organized a team of students to study sustainability. One team specifically focused on NY municipalities and another on municipalities in Michigan. A third student worked on water utility issues focused in Montana. In Spring 2017, eight teams of Binghamton University students in Dr. Homsy's classes, investigated the drivers of sustainability policymaking in small, suburban, and urban municipalities. Warner and Homsy co-authored with a Cornell University graduate student a paper in the Economic Development Quarterly titled, "Environment, Equity, and Economic Development Goals: Understanding Differences in Local Economic Development Strategies." Xue Zhang, a PhD student, presented on the links between economic development and sustainability at the Regional Science Association Conference in November 2015. Warner worked with a student to conduct a focus group with city managers at the International City County Management Association Meeting in September 2014. Homsy worked with a Binghamton University undergraduate student in the McNair Research program to produce an issue brief for professionals about zoning incentives. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We fielded two national surveys: one on sustainability actions of local governments in 2015 and one on economic development policies in 2014. Both surveys are now publicly available for scholarly use by the International City County Management Association. We conducted a number of focus groups with planners and local government leaders across the nation and a series of webinars for planners on survey results in collaboration with the Small Town and Rural Division and Sustainability Division of the American Planning Association. We have published a number of issue briefs and journal articles on this research. Our research has identified how municipalities balance economic development and environmental protection - and shows the ways that rural local governments work to protect local jobs and the environment. Our project has broadened scholarly knowledge about local government decision-making around issues of environmental sustainability, regional collaboration and local economic development policy. We have identified drivers and barriers to change. While disaster planning represents an important first step toward sustainability, broader regional collaboration is required to address sustainability issues which cross sectoral (water, energy, land use) and geographic boundaries. Our research has given special attention to the actions of rural local governments. We found fiscal and technical capacity constraints hinder the adoption of sustainability policy, but local coalitions, along with higher level government support, help communities implement policies that make sense in their local environment. We have articulated a theory of multilevel governance to help guide sustainability policy making. Objective 1 - Understanding Unlikely Pioneers in Climate Change We developed case studies of rural communities that led the way in sustainability policy, published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences in 2018. In Spring 2017, eight teams of Binghamton University students investigated the drivers of sustainability policymaking in small rural, suburban, and urban municipalities. In Fall 2017 a team of Cornell University students conducted case studies in New York, Michigan and Montana on sustainability actions. This resulted in two conferences - in Sept and December 2017 - co sponsored by the statewide local government associations and CaRDI. Our case study research uncovered that one driver of innovation in small towns is the role of municipal utilities. This work was published in 2016 in Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. We are developing a case study of Missoula MT on re-municipalization of water utilities. We find municipal utilities increase local capacity and help communities address climate change. Finance and information asymetries make it difficult for communities to engage with larger market actors when trying to encourage sustainability. We find municipal utilities increase local capacity and help communities address climate change. Objective 2: Economic development policy Activities undertaken: We redesigned and fielded a nationwide survey of local government economic development policy in 2014 with ICMA. Data Collected The 2014 ICMA Economic Development survey received 1,201 responses including 309 rural places. This is the most comprehensive survey of local government economic development efforts and is available to the public at ICMA's website. Results Our 2017 Economic Development Quarterly article showed how goal and priority setting in a local government results in a broader set of economic development actions, more focused on community development. We also published an analysis of business retention and expansion policy, as part of a special issue of the journal Community Development in 2017. We were invited to present results from our two conferences in fall 2017 at the statewide conferences of the NYS Association of Counties (Jan 2018), Association of Towns of NYS (Feb 2018, and NYS City Managers Association conference (May 2018). Objective 3: Explore rural communities' response to climate change and other environmental stresses Activities undertaken We conducted focus groups in 2014 with the Small Town and Rural Division and Sustainability Division of the APA, and a national survey in 2015 with ICMA of local government sustainability action. Analysis was made available in issue briefs published with ICMA and webinars with APA. Statistical analysis explains drivers of sustainability action, the links between disaster and sustainability planning, the role of cooperation - across agencies and across governments in a region, and drivers of local government waste and water management policy. Data collected The Sustainability Survey was sent to 8,569 local governments. 1,899 local governments responding, 576 of which were rural. Summary results are available at: https://icma.org/documents/icma-survey-research-2015-local-government-sustainability-practices-survey-report. The raw data is available for scholarly analysis from ICMA. Results While 47.3% of responding jurisdictions identify environmental protection as a priority, only 31.5% report adoption of a sustainability plan. The potential for fiscal savings and potential to attract development projects are among the top five motivating factors for local government sustainability efforts. Outcomes Rural leaders often link environmental protection to economic development. While smaller governments lack capacity, they involve citizens in commissions and work to link sustainability to other issues of local importance - disaster planning and economic development. A book chapter on rural governments and climate change action has been accepted as part of the Routledge Companion to Rural Planning, 2018. Another chapter is forthcoming in Climate Change in Cities: Innovations in Multi-Level Governance. Articles under review include: on regionalism at Local Government Studies, on curbside recycling at Resources, Conservation and Recycling, and on the links between disaster and sustainability planning at Rural Sociology. Objective 4: Extension Activities undertaken We have worked closely with our extension partners - ICMA and APA to write issue briefs, webinars and conference presentations. Results of the Sustainability survey were published in ICMA's Local Government Review, which goes to several thousand local officials nationwide. We organized two webinars with the Sustainable Communities Division of APA: May 2016, "Local Government Sustainability: Practices and Promises." which can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX6nHGsiiSg; and September 2016, "Measuring Sustainability Outcomes: Easier Said than Done?" found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZz40HdIkNw. Our work has had global reach. Warner and Homsy were invited to present their research to the Shanghai (China) Municipal Planning Institute on, "Sustainability in US Cities: Environment, Economic, Social" in June 2016. A paper comparing US and China multilevel governance for sustainability action was published in 2018 by the International Journal of Public Administration. Outcomes Our issue brief on innovative rural communities was picked up by Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/f-kaid-benfield/bringing-sustainability-t_b_6519830.html We advised the American Planning Association on the challenges for rural communities and this was reflected in their Sustainability Policy Guide, adopted in 2017.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Homsy, George, Zhilin Liu, Mildred Warner 2018. Multilevel Governance: Framing the Integration of Top- Down and Bottom-Up Policymaking, International Journal of Public Administration, forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2018.1491597
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Zhang, X. Warner, M.E. and Homsy, G.C. (2017). Environment, Equity and Economic Development Goals: Understanding Differences in Local Economic Development Strategies, Economic Development Quarterly, 31(3): 196-209. DOI: 10.1177/0891242417712003
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Homsy, George and Mildred Warner 2019. Reframing Rural Planning: Multilevel Governance to Address Climate Change, chapter for Routledge Companion to Rural Planning, Mark Scott, editor.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Homsy, George, Lu Liao and Mildred Warner. Sustainability and Disaster Planning: What are the Connections? submitted to Rural Sociology,
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gradus, R., George C. Homsy, Lu Liao and Mildred E. Warner, (2018). Which US municipalities adopt Pay-As-You-Throw and curbside recycling? Submitted to Resources, Conservation and Recycling, June 2018.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Homsy, G.C, Warner, M.E. & Liao, L. (2016, December). Sustainability and Local Governments: Planning Helps Balance Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Priorities. Public Management, (spec. section) pp. 5-13.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Homsy, G.C. & Warner, M.E. (2013) Defying the Odds: Sustainability in Small and Rural Places. Briefing paper. Washington, DC: International City County Management Association. Available at: http://icma.org/Documents/Document/Document/305454
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Mulvaney, K., Hall, A., Nye, M., Homsy, G., Dyson, B., and Johnston, J. (2017, September) Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Community Engagement in Sustainability at National and Regional Scales. Report # EPA/600/X-17/285. Narragansett, RI: National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Homsy, G.C. Public ownership or private? The sustainability externalities of water and power utilities. Revision submitted to the Journal of Economic Policy Reform.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Homsy, G.C. (2016) Powering Sustainability: Municipal Utilities and Local Government Policymaking. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 34(6) 1076-1094.
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Progress 04/01/16 to 03/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Throughout the year we have worked closely with the following target audiences: the International City County Management Association (where we presented at their annual conference and wrote a summary of the survey results), the Sustainability Division and the Small Town and Rural Division of the American Planning Association (with whom we hosted two webinars and met with the divisions at the APA national conference). Changes/Problems:We requested and received a one year no cost extension. This is allowing us to conduct in depth case studies and continue modeling analysis of survey data. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate students (both PhD and professional master's students) from both Cornell and Binghamton University have been deeply engaged with this research. Undergraduate students at Binghamton University have also participated in the research and writing efforts. For all of these students, the research has provided opportunities to better understand sustainability at the municipal level, to practice writing and presentation to policymakers, and to sharpen research skills. Local officials and planners through the International City / County Management Association and the American Planning Association have been closely involved with the development of the research and the professional conference session and publications that have resulted. Not only have they helped sharpen our non-academic work for the benefit of the general practitioner community, but these officials have benefited from the knowledge gained. Both Co-PIs and their students are active with the two professional associations. As described above under Objective 4, we have presented for, written for, and met with professionals to make our research more accessible to the practitioner community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? As described above, the materials have been the basis of professional conference presentations and practitioner publications. There is high interest in this research among local officials. Our sessions are consistently well-attended and our issue briefs appear to be well-circulated. Academically, the article authored by the co-PIs that appeared in a 2015 issue of Urban Affairs Review is highly cited. We have held two webinars and participated in two international conferences for planners and city managers where our work has been profiled to hundreds of attendees. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next year, we will continue to analyze and write academic articles about the 2015 sustainability survey. We have a number of manuscripts in progress including one in collaboration with researchers at the US EPA. Also, students from Cornell University will join those currently working at Binghamton University on community case studies. The data gathered will be used to generate more academic articles as well as practitioner publications so that local officials can learn and act upon the information gained in our research.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Understandingly unlikely pioneers in climate change In February 2017, eight teams of Binghamton University students began investigating the drivers of climate change action, in particular, and sustainability policymaking, in general, in small rural, suburban, and urban municipalities. Their work will be completed in May. Objective 2: Economic Development Policy Co-PIs Warner and Homsy worked with a Cornell University graduate student on a publication that has been accepted by Economic Development Quarterly. The article is titled: "Environment, Equity and Economic Development Goals: Understanding Differences in Local Economic Development Strategies." Co-PI Warner presented "Sustainability and Local Government - Linking the Environment and the Economy" to the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future in October 2016. Objective 3: Local sustainability and global climate change in rural municipalities Cornell University, Binghamton University, and the International City / County Management Association published summary results of the 2015 Sustainability Survey of Local Governments. Co-PI Homsy has written a book chapter that examines climate change policy in small cities and towns. The book, published by Springer, is scheduled for publication in late 2017 or early 2018. Objective 4: Policy and Program Innovation Co-PI Homsy has worked with a Binghamton University undergraduate student and a practicing planner to produce an issue brief for professionals that focuses on using zoning incentives to encourage more sustainable planning practices. It is available at: https://www.binghamton.edu/public-administration/faculty-staff/Homsy%20et%20al%20-%20Incentive%20Zoning.pdf Co-PIs Warner and Homsy worked with a Cornell University graduate student on a professional publication for a special issue (December 2016) of the ICMA magazine Local Government Review: Putting Research into Practice. The article is titled, "Sustainability and Local Governments: Planning Helps Balance Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Priorities." In May 2016, co-PIs Warner and Homsy participated in a webinar titled, "Local Government Sustainability: Practices and Promises." The webinar was sponsored by the Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association and can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX6nHGsiiSg. In September 2016, co-PI Homsy participated in another webinar sponsored by the Sustainable Communities Division of the American Planning Association. It was titled, "Measuring Sustainability Outcomes: Easier Said than Done?" and can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZz40HdIkNw. Co-PIs Warner and Homsy made two presentations to the professionals gathered in Kansas City for the International City / County Management Association in September 2016. The full session as titled: "Sustainability and Local Government - Linking the Environment and the Economy" and the smaller Learning Lounge session was "Sustainability and Local Government." In February 2017, co-PI Homsy presented the research to business executives and government officials of the State University of New York Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier. Co-PIs Warner and Homsy were invited to present their research to the Shanghai (China) Municipal Planning Institute. Their presentation, "Sustainability in US Cities: Environment, Economic, Social" was in June 2016.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Zhang, X. Warner, M.E. and Homsy, G.C. (2016). Environment, Equity and Economic Development Goals: Understanding Differences in Local Economic Development Strategies, Economic Development Quarterly, forthcoming.
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Homsy, G.C. (with editors) Size, Sustainability, and Urban Climate Planning in a Multilevel Governance Framework in Climate Change in Cities: Innovations in Multi-Level Governance, Sara Hughes, Eric Chu, & Susan Mason (eds). New York: Springer.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Homsy, G.C, Warner, M.E. & Liao, L. (2016, December). Sustainability and Local Governments: Planning Helps Balance Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Priorities. Local Government Review, (spec. section) pp. 5-13.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Homsy, G.C., Liu, Zhilin and Warner, M.E. 2016. The Centers Role in Multi-level Governance for Sustainability: A Comparison of US and China, Paper presented at HKU-USC-IPPA Conference on Public Policy, Coping with Policy Complexity in the Globalized World, June 10-11, 2016 | Hong Kong, China.
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Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:We worked closely with the International City County Management Association, the Sustainability Division and the Small Town and Rural Division of the American Planning Association. Changes/Problems:No changes to report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?With our survey data still being collected in 2015, our first training opportunities occurred in spring and summer 2015 when we met with project partners at American Planning Association conferences in Seattle, Washington and Saratoga Springs, New York. George Homsy presented work on incentive zoning at the northeast regional American Planning Association Conference in June 2015. Xue Zhang, a student employed with this project, presented the work on the links between economic development and sustainability at the Regional Science Association conference in November, 2015. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We met with the Rural and Small Town and the Sustainability Divisions of the American Planning Association at their national conference in Seattle, Washington in April 2015. We wrote an issue brief on incentive zoning which was published to our website. We presented at the Northeast Regional APA conference of planners from throughout the NE region. We invited our partners at ICMA to join us for a meeting at Cornell University to discuss survey protocols and next steps in project development in October 2015. We published summary results of the 2015 national survey with ICMA in March, 2016. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next year we will analyze the data and write academic papers and professional issue briefs from the national survey on local government sustainability actions. We also will work with our partners to provide extension outreach on the findings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Understandingly unlikely pioneers in climate change Our analysis of the 2010 ICMA sustainability data was published in Urban Affairs Review. It showed the importance of multilevel governance and citizen engagement, especially in promoting more sustainability policy actions among rural communities. Co- PI George Homsy completed the work on the role of municipal utilities in helping small and rural governments craft and implement sustainability policies. Article published in Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy and presented at the Urban Affairs Association conference. We found utilities boost the energy conservation efforts of local governments in the community because they provide municipalities with increased capacity and because their local nature allows solutions more tuned to local circumstance. Conducted interviews with local governments to determine the tools that small cities and rural towns and counties use to incentivize sustainability actions by the private sector. We found that local governments of all sizes use incentive zoning to shape development in a variety of ways. Successful use of the planning tool relies on program flexibility, a strong economic market, and established sustainability goals. Failures occur in weak markets or when incentives do not cover the cost of the public good desired. No communities conduct the analysis needed to make sure the value of the municipal amenity is connected in some way to the value of the incentive to the developer. Preliminary findings presented at the 45th Annual Conference of the Urban Affairs Association (April 2015). Issue brief published on this work as part of our extension outreach. Academic article is under review with the Journal of the American Planning Association. Objective 2: Economic Development Policy Analyzed the 2014 ICMA Economic Development Survey which covered 1200 counties and cities from across the US, including 309 rural places. Conducted statistical analysis and found that communities that have environmental and social equity goals, are more likely to engage in a wider range of community economic development policies - beyond traditional business incentives. Presented results at the Regional Science Association Conference. Paper is now under review at Economic Development Quarterly. Objective 3: Local sustainability and global climate change in rural municipalities Completed the redesign of the ICMA sustainability survey of local governments. The survey was in the field from May to November of 2015. The survey was sent to 8,569 local governments. The survey response rate 22.2%, with 1,899 local governments responding, 576 of which were rural. Initial analysis shows while 47.3% of responding jurisdictions identify environmental protection as a priority, only 31.5% report adoption of a sustainability plan. We find important links between sustainability and economic development. 90.5% or responding jurisdictions identify economic development as a priority, and the potential for fiscal savings and potential to attract development projects are among the top five motivating factors for local government sustainability efforts (1. Potential for fiscal savings, 2. Leadership of local elected officials, 3. Federal or state funding opportunities, 4. Potential to attract development projects, 5. Concern over the environment). Summary of survey findings published on ICMA's website. Using the 2010 Sustainability Survey, George Homsy examined regionalism among communities and its impact on sustainability in the form of land use planning, affordable housing, and economic development. This research examined intermunicipal cooperation among municipalities of all sizes including rural communities. Descriptive statistics found that fewer than 10 percent of local governments cooperate on land use planning, 17 percent cooperate on economic development, and one-third on affordable housing. Models indicate that income differences between municipalities reduced the chances of collaboration around land use and affordable housing. Building trust among municipalities through regional institutions is important for increasing cooperation around affordable housing and economic development, but not land use. Homsy presented this research at the Annual Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference in October 2015. Objective 4: Policy and Program Innovation Co-PI Mildred Warner met with the leaders of the Sustainability Division of the American Planning Association at their national conference in Seattle, Washington. We participated in a review of the Sustainability Policy guide being developed for approval by American Planning Association. Our comments focused on the challenges for rural communities to make sure their needs and special interests were considered in the draft document. Co-PI George Homsy presented preliminary data and analysis at the Region I (northeastern US) conference of the American Planning Association in June 2015.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Homsy, George and Mildred E. Warner, (2015). Cities and Sustainability: Polycentric Action and Multilevel Governance, Urban Affairs Review, 51(1): 46-63. DOI: 10.1177/1078087414530545
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Homsy, George (forthcoming) Powering Sustainability: Municipal Utilities and Local Government Policymaking, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Homsy, George, Gina Abrams and Valerie Monastra, 2015. Incentive Zoning: A Market-Based Planning Tool. Available at https://www.binghamton.edu/public-administration/faculty-staff/Homsy%20et%20al%20-%20Incentive%20Zoning.pdf
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
2015 Local Government Sustainability Practices Survey Report, ICMA: Washington DC. http://icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/documents/kn/Document/308135/2015_Local_Government_Sustainability_Practices_Survey_Report?diff=lastapproved
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