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Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development
Here is a refreshing look at how American cities are leading the way toward greener, cleaner, and more sustainable forms of economic development.
In Emerald Cities , Joan Fitzgerald shows how in the absence of a comprehensive national policy, cities like Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle have taken the lead in addressing the interrelated environmental problems of global warming, pollution, energy dependence, and social justice. Cities are major sources of pollution but because of their population density, reliance on public transportation, and other factors, Fitzgerald argues that they are uniquely suited to promote and benefit from green economic development. For cities facing worsening budget constraints, investing in high-paying green jobs in renewable energy technology, construction, manufacturing, recycling, and other fields will solve two problems at once, sparking economic growth while at the same time dramatically improving quality of life. Fitzgerald also examines how investing in green research and technology may help to revitalize older industrial cities and offers examples of cities that don't
make the top-ten green lists such as Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio and Syracuse, New York. And for cities wishing to emulate those already engaged in developing greener economic practices, Fitzgerald shows which strategies will be most effective according to each city's size, economic history, geography, and other unique circumstances. But cities cannot act alone, and Fitzgerald analyzes the role of state and national government policy in helping cities create the next wave of clean technology growth.
Lucid, forward-looking, and guided by a level-headed optimism that clearly distinguishes between genuine progress and exaggerated claims, Emerald Cities points the way toward a sustainable future for the American city.
In Emerald Cities , Joan Fitzgerald shows how in the absence of a comprehensive national policy, cities like Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle have taken the lead in addressing the interrelated environmental problems of global warming, pollution, energy dependence, and social justice. Cities are major sources of pollution but because of their population density, reliance on public transportation, and other factors, Fitzgerald argues that they are uniquely suited to promote and benefit from green economic development. For cities facing worsening budget constraints, investing in high-paying green jobs in renewable energy technology, construction, manufacturing, recycling, and other fields will solve two problems at once, sparking economic growth while at the same time dramatically improving quality of life. Fitzgerald also examines how investing in green research and technology may help to revitalize older industrial cities and offers examples of cities that don't
make the top-ten green lists such as Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio and Syracuse, New York. And for cities wishing to emulate those already engaged in developing greener economic practices, Fitzgerald shows which strategies will be most effective according to each city's size, economic history, geography, and other unique circumstances. But cities cannot act alone, and Fitzgerald analyzes the role of state and national government policy in helping cities create the next wave of clean technology growth.
Lucid, forward-looking, and guided by a level-headed optimism that clearly distinguishes between genuine progress and exaggerated claims, Emerald Cities points the way toward a sustainable future for the American city.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2010
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115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 13, 2017
Emerald Cities faces the tough challenge of not aging that well, an issue faced by many books about urban planning.
Some good ideas are included in this book but they get lost in the heavy policy wonk language and tight focus.
Some good ideas are included in this book but they get lost in the heavy policy wonk language and tight focus.
December 9, 2022
A little out of date, and not as focused on cities as I was expecting.
July 16, 2010
A must read for anyone interested in our green future...
"The US has gone from being a leader in renewable energy technology research and development to a consumer of technology designed and produced elsewhere."
First Solar's thin-film technology is able to produce energy at $1 per watt, versus the typical $4. The cost of wind is is considerably less than solar, with the federal production tax credit.
The book talks about many different projects all over the country and about how many jobs we can create if we get our act together. Currently, there are tons of hoops to jump through. Since we don't have a national policy, there are several city, state and county regulations to deal with that vary tremendously.
We definitely dropped the ball on renewable energy in the US!
"The US has gone from being a leader in renewable energy technology research and development to a consumer of technology designed and produced elsewhere."
First Solar's thin-film technology is able to produce energy at $1 per watt, versus the typical $4. The cost of wind is is considerably less than solar, with the federal production tax credit.
The book talks about many different projects all over the country and about how many jobs we can create if we get our act together. Currently, there are tons of hoops to jump through. Since we don't have a national policy, there are several city, state and county regulations to deal with that vary tremendously.
We definitely dropped the ball on renewable energy in the US!
June 18, 2015
Insightful read about green technology in relation to urban sustainability, economic development, and social justice. At times, the book was geared towards when it was written (2008) but many of its conclusions and findings are still relevant. Ultimately, urban sustainability and the advancement of green technology in the United States no matter how successful across the world or in cities in the United States will require a great deal of political will. This will require people to be educated, knowledgeable, and most importantly show up to vote.
July 31, 2016
Not every city can get spend hundreds of millions of dollars and get government grants to plan and sustain a manufacturing supply chain in an inherently flawed renewable energy technology. The whole book is based on an absurd premise and ignores economic realities. Classic optimistic-but-unrealistic activist fodder.
March 18, 2016
The whole thing reads like an NGO white paper. I may return to this in the future when I need to pull out a quick blurb for research purposes, but as a book it's not enough analysis, not enough story, and already quite dated thanks to the deluge of case studies.
July 5, 2012
Good book incorporating short cases of how cities are integrating green technologies and solutions.
December 25, 2012
I thought this book had some good ideas and presented them well. I do wonder what the author would have written if he wrote it today, some of the themes were specific to 2008.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews