ULI San Francisco : Content: Sustainability Committee

Urban Land Institute


A Guide to Sustainable Development

"Sustainable Development...speaks to the balancing economic and social forces against the environmental imperatives of resource conservation and renewal for the world of tomorrow."

               - From Practice of Sustainable Development by Douglas R. Porter, a ULI publication

In recent years, much has been written about Sustainable Development and how it can be framed and implemented worldwide. The Urban Land Institute District Council in San Francisco has developed a succinct primer of what sustainability is and how to pursue Sustainable Development in an effort to help focus the efforts of developers, public officials, environmentalists, citizens and business on how to build better places to live.

Centering on Best Practices

"Sustainability" and "Sustainable Development" are ideals and goals to strive for. These terms will forever be changing and adapting, as technology, science, finance, ecology, and societal forces shift and evolve. To this end, we will not strive to define what is or is not Sustainable; rather we will provide general Sustainability Principles, along with examples of Best Practices in Sustainable Development, that will be both more robust over time (the Guiding Principles) and instructive in the application to real projects (Best Practices) as they change and improve. These Guiding Principles are based on the ULI Advisory Group's "Climate, Land Use & Energy (CLUE) Findings Report" from 2008, and the "California 2020" document released by ULI on behalf of a state-wide coalition of environmentalists, civic organizations and developers, yet tailored to our local San Francisco Bay Area clientele.

Guiding Principles  Local Examples of Best Practices

Develop Communities, not Buildings.

Developing integrative social, economic, and environmentally innovative communities will ensure good investments for social, natural and economic capital. The communities do not have to be new, nor do they have to be of premium pricing.

Foster State, Regional and Local Coordination.

No development occurs in a vacuum. Local governments must be empowered to plan well, and expedite infill approaches, as long as development fits into greater context.

Plan for Economic Diversity.

Developing robust economic centers with a diversity of jobs, industries, services, and housing types will promote long-term vitalization in a local and global competitive market.

Promote Accessibility and Choice in Mobility.

Develop for moving people, not for moving cars. This approach will foster transit, and petroleum-based alternatives to transportation, lowering VMT and GHG while promoting healthy lifestyles.

Promote the Measuring and Monitoring of Key Quantitative Metrics.

By tracking energy and water use, GHG emissions, economic indicators, and environmental metrics, the success of the development can be measured, and missteps identified and improved.

Example of local EECBG activities? See GreenTRIP.

Become Aware of What is Finite and Precious, and What is in Abundance.

As Mark Twain said, "Buy land, they're not making it anymore." The same is true for water, clean air and local species in their habitat. There is no limit to human innovation, the entrepreneurial spirit and cultural richness.

Examples of projects that take the local environmental and cultural landscape into account.
Creating and implementing sustainable development practices in our local communities will take leadership and commitment.

ULI San Francisco is committed to fostering sustainable development values among its membership of developers and other real estate professionals. As a resource providing information and expertise to all sectors, ULI San Francisco welcomes the opportunity to work with public officials, environmentalists, other business sectors and citizens to change the way our communities develop so they respond effectively to the major challenges we face in climate, energy and economic competiveness. For more information, please contact ULI San Francisco Executive Director Kate White at kate.white@uil.org.