a strategic vision for regional economic resiliency fall 2010

A Strategic Vision for Regional Economic ResiliencyFall 2010

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, odio bibendum, et wisi arcu non, suspendisse donec nullam ipsum urna, augue lacus phasellus fames et eget, iaculis pharetra id aliquam.

Mack PearsallChairman, ABSCI

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, odio bibendum, et wisi arcu non, suspendisse donec nullam ipsum urna, augue lacus phasellus fames et eget, iaculis pharetra id aliquam.Jim FoxExecutive Director, NEMAC/ RENCI

ABSCI Steering Committee

Mack Pearsall Chairman, ABSCIMichael Leahey ABSCIRobin Cape ABSCIBob Melville ABSCIMaggie Ullman City of AshevilleYuri Koslen City of AshevilleStephanie Monson City of AshevilleGordon Smith Asheville City CouncilHolly Jones Buncombe CommissionerBrad Ellington Buncombe CountyJon Creighton Buncombe CountyRon Townley Land of Sky Regional CouncilJim Fox RENCI / NEMACBob Wagner Community Foundation WNCMargo Flood Warren Wilson CollegeDee Eggers UNC-AshevilleJ. Nelson Weaver Health PartnersChris Joyell Asheville Design CenterMatt Raker Advantage WestDan Leroy Asheville GOMatt Siegel WNC Green Building CouncilJohn Stevens BRSIGeorge Briggs NC Arboretum

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, odio bibendum, et wisi arcu non, suspendisse donec nullam ipsum urna, augue lacus phasellus fames et eget, iaculis pharetra id aliquam.

Bob WagnerProgram Director, CFWNC

ustainability: Introduction & Overview

rends: Where We Have Been

ssessment: Where We Are

ecommendations: Where We Want To Be

Taking Asheville to the Next Level 1A Vision for the Asheville Region 2Key Principles 3Overview of the Asheville Region 4Asheville Hub Sustainable Community Initiative 5Reading, Riding & Retrofit 6STAR Overview 7

Community Indicators 8The SCI Hub Indicator Project 9

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 10Local Assets & Risks 11Local Master Plans 12

Strategic Framework 13Recommended Strategies 14-18Conclusions & Next Steps 19-20

Sustainability Taking the Asheville Region to the Next Level

Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Community Initiative Sustainability Trends, Actions and Recommendations (STAR) Fall 2010 Page 1

Qua

lity

of L

ife

1950 1976 1993 2008 2010 2030 and beyond

The renaissance

begins…

Community development

and job growth… Economic

and ecological

stress…

Business as usual

STAR

“As a planner and developer, my approach to building a (community) is similar to any other large project. You must understand your market, design it accordingly, organize your team, find the money and get it built, all the while, making it beautiful, safe and energy efficient as possible. “

Chuck Tessier, Tessier & Assoicates

“Communities, like companies, come to inflection points where the fundamentals of a business or local economy change and they either make the hard decisions to invest in the down cycle and take a more promising trajectory, or do nothing, and wither. “

Andy Grove, CEO Intel

“We have an economy that tells us it is cheaper to destroy earth in real time rather than renew, restore, and sustain it. You can print money to bail out a bank but you can’t print life to bail out a planet.” Paul Hawken, entrepreneur, environmental activist and author

The Asheville region of Western North Carolina is recognized as one of the best places in the nation to live, vacation, and retire. Due in part to its progressive reputation and abundant natural resources, many perceive that the region has embraced “sustainable development”: the simultaneous improvement of social, economic, and environmental well-being.

In reality, the region faces massive internal and external challenges, including population growth and its impact on natural resources; economic decline arising from shifting economic drivers, ‘turf-ism’ or ‘silos’ that impede collaboration between community leaders; and preparation for the potential challenges of the future.

STAR measures the existing strengths and weaknesses of the region and offers a set of recommendations that were synthesized by input from more than 50 local leaders and community meetings. These recommendations focus on strategies for creating and retaining jobs and for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life of this region.

At the core of these strategies is a recognition of the importance of a collaborative leadership system to support decision makers in leveraging their own organizational strategies and goals with those of others, expanding and including those who have not been traditionally “at the table.”

Sustainability A Vision of the Asheville Region


Conserve and support neighborhoods and communities

The key to our area’s economic competitiveness lies in building strong, livable communities. This region has a variety of desirable neighborhoods, communities, towns, and cities where people live, work and play. Conserving the individual assets of those distinct areas while supporting quality of life enhancements to them, creates strong and resilient hubs of community as the building blocks of our region.

Strong neighborhoods and communities provide further positive economic benefits to the region by reducing public infrastructure and service delivery costs, maximizing the value of these important investments. Increasing the energy efficiency in home and buildings and encouraging more affordable housing within these areas strengthens the work force which in terms supports business and economic development.. Creating whole neighborhoods with opportunities to shop, work, and play, where you live, allows people to spend less time driving more time enjoying the high quality of life their neighborhood has to offer.

Where people To attract and keep our neighborhoods strong, they need to be connected throughout the region with a diverse range of transportation options. Citizens spend 20% less time commuting to work, and our homes consume 30% less energy, resulting in a 25% reduction in our carbon footprint. Building codes are greener and infrastructure investments are supported. Rural areas realize the benefits without having to become as dense as urban areas.

Relentless focus on creativity, innovation, and knowledge

Even as we consume less, the economy continues to improve the quality of life of our citizens. It is now anchored on fulfilling local needs and enhancing local quality of life. Tourists continue to flock here because the quality of life is so good. Artists, alternative health practitioners, and environmentalists are supported by the community that benefits from their presence in the form of resources, planning, and living space.

The top strategies identified to re-invigorate our community, economy, and environment

Photo by Zen Sutherland

Increased local food and energy economy

Our cities and urban areas alike produce more of the food, energy, and products that we need to live and experience a high quality of life. We produce 10% of the food we consume (and growing) and 20% of the energy that we use (and increasing). Our farming heritage and resources for clean energy technologies exist side by side. Markets are filled with fresh local food – year round.

.

What is a Sustainable Community?

A community that values and stewards its natural

resources

A community that promotes culture, equity, and diversity

A community whose economy exists in harmony with its

environment and it’s culture

Sustainability Key Principles


Our strategy is built on certain core principles:– Let the city be the city and the country be the county– All of our decisions are based on common values– Think globally, assess regionally, act locally– Take a long-term perspective (Cherokee seven-generation

concept)– Everything is inter-related – take a systems approach– Intellectual honesty: what are our strengths and weaknesses?

STAR is regional and a local plan to create jobs and improve quality of life through innovative policy and programs.

Sustainable Community

Transport-ation

Housing Food

Energy

Thriving Economy

Culture, Equity & Diversity

Strengths–Thriving artistic culture–Unique and diverse ecology–Farming and forest product tradition–Global center of climate data and visualization

Weaknesses–Limited financial resources for capital and philanthropy–Lack of good jobs combined with high cost of living–Difficulty collaborating across jurisdictions and “silos”–Steep slopes challenge infrastructure and agriculture

Opportunities–Federal funding for ‘Sustainable Communities’–Massive innovation in digital media –Evolving consciousness around buying local goods and services–Existing best practice models for sustainable development

Threats–Extended global financial recession–Catastrophic climate change: droughts, floods, heat–Potential for rising food/ energy prices–Influx of in-migrants from other regions stress resources


The Asheville Metro area covers four western North Carolina Mountain Counties (Buncombe, Madison, Henderson and Haywood). The population is 404,320 with over half that in Buncombe County.

Local governments belonging to the region are Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson Counties; the Cities of Asheville and Hendersonville; and the Towns of Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Canton, Clyde, Flat Rock, Fletcher, Laurel Park, Maggie Valley, Mills River, Montreat, Waynesville, Weaverville, and Woodfin.

In comparison to the nation as a whole, the region is more educated, less ethnically diverse, poorer with a higher proportion of renters, and has a higher proportion of older residents.

Population 2000 - 2020

28%

US Census Projections (2008 Data)

1. Community Profile for Asheville Metro Region. Prepared by RENCI@UNC

Sustainability The Asheville Metro Region

Unemployment 2002-2009

Asheville Chamber of Commerce

The region is expected to add 45,000 more residents over the next ten years, with the vast majority of this growth falling outside the City. (This is the same amount of people that the region added from 1980 to 2000, in half the time).

The growth in population is fueled by the region’s ubiquitous ratings near the top of lists of “coolest”, “best place to retire”, “best place to vacation,” and other national lists.

The downside of this great reputation fueling a growing population is an economic malaise different from many parts of the county. While unemployment has surged here, as everywhere, we face a greater problem of ‘under-employment.’ The economy is driven by healthcare and tourism. Outside of these professions, there are little opportunities for mid-career professionals and young families. They say that Asheville’s economy is fine “as long as you’ve already made your money or don’t care if you ever do.”

In addition to economic stress, the environment has come under increasing pressure, as seen by worsening water quality, unhealthy ecosystems, and disappearing forestlands.


Since 2004, the Asheville Hub, a partnership of private, public, institutional and nonprofit leaders, has advocated for collaborate leadership and innovation-driven economic development.

The Hub’s philosophy is built around leveraging our region’s unique assets – our “sense of place”, creative class, natural, human, and intellectual capital.

Hub members include representatives of local government, including the Mayor of Asheville and the Chair of the Buncombe Commissioners, leaders of the Chamber of Commerce, local universities, major employers, philanthropists, and community developers. A monthly meeting provides a forum to network, share ideas, and explore best practices.

The Hub has donated, invested, volunteered, and leveraged over $1.5 million in the support of a diverse array of development activities, including:

–The Center for Environmental and Climactic Interaction–The Media Arts Project–The Applied Visualization Lab–Hatchfest–Meet the Geeks–The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine–Green Mondays

Sustainable development was not among the initial focus points of the Hub. However in 2008 a group of members, recognizing the paradigm-changing potential of sustainability, began to craft a development strategy based on the fusion of the environment and economics. The Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Community Initiative (ABSCI) was born.

ABSCI is a 501c3 ‘think-and-do’ tank, whose mission is to improve quality of life through innovative, sustainable economic development. Its programs include:

1.Hub Indicator Project (HIP) –Quality of life indicators2.STAR – Regional sustainability assessment and plan3.Green Science Lab – Sustainable decision making tools4.Reading, Riding & Retrofit (RRR) – Sustainability in Schools

While ABSCI has had initial success, great challenges lie ahead. The remainder of this report highlights the need for an unprecedented level of collaboration and effective decision making – no small feat in a challenging financial environment. While there are costs to facilitating collaboration, the much greater cost is that of in-action.

Sustainability The Hub Sustainable Community Initiative

ABSCI’s mission is to improve quality of life through sustainable economic development.

To implement energy efficiency retrofits in school buildings, the Land-of-Sky Council coordinates energy efficiency training workshops with facilities, maintenance, and custodial staff. The council directs sub-grants to school retrofits that meet cost-effectiveness, GHG reduction, and energy use reduction criteria.

At the same time, transportation planning staff works with schools to identify transportation energy efficiency improvements. The project also will institutionalize sustainable policies to ensure that schools use more recycled and renewable products, that new appliances meet energy efficiency guidelines, and that lunch programs include a greater share of locally-grown foods.

Green Teams composed of students, teachers, parents, and custodial staff provide support, education, and outreach for the Reading, Riding, and Retrofit project. These teams will conduct projects such as school-wide recycling competitions, student-organized energy audits, commuter challenges, community gardens, composting programs, or environmental art contests.

Reading, Riding & Retrofit is a ‘best practice’ of sustainable community development. The purpose of this report is to catalyze additional innovative projects, to provide a system to track their Recommendations over time, and help leaders make better decisions.

The ABSCI and the Land-of-Sky Regional Planning Council developed Reading, Riding, and Retrofit, a collaborative program that provides city and county school systems with tools to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserve energy, and reduce operational costs while educating students and the community.


Sustainability Reading, Riding & Retrofit

Recommend Strategic Action

Assessment(Plans, Assets, Risks,

Orgs)

Trends (Community Indicators)Defining Sustainability Implement & Monitor

In 2009 ABSCI initiated a sustainability plan. A cross-sector partnership of local leaders provided data, ideas, and best practices to assess the state of sustainability in the region and to recommend solutions.

The result of this multi-year process is STAR (Sustainability, Trends, Actions & Recommendations). More than a report or an isolated plan destined to “sit on the shelf,” STAR uses a number of tools, including a community indicator project, a review of a recent city and county ‘master plans’ and related initiatives, and interviews with dozens of local leaders, decision makers, and citizens, to assess current local sustainability.

These assessment tools are synthesized into a comprehensive model that will allow us to create a regional sustainable development action plan that addresses our risks and builds upon our assets, and a plan for putting these recommendations in to action.


Sustainability STAR OverviewProcess

2007-08 2009 2009-10 Fall 2010 2011 Ongoing

Across the nation and around the world, communities are assessing well-being through community indicators of quality of life. Community indicators are like gauges on a dashboard, each of which tells the driver something different about how the vehicle is driving.

The standard gauge used by our society is economic activity. However, the goal of a community is not to simply increase its economic activity, but to increase the quality of life and well-being of its citizens.

Indicator initiatives seek to measures all of the components of quality of life, including social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being. These measures, when studied as a system of interrelated factors, allow community leaders and citizens alike to make better decisions.

Indicators show trends, allow comparisons, and spark debate. Alone, they will not solve our region’s problems or help us take advantage of opportunities. We must use them to further engage the community: setting goals, reviewing bright ideas, debating public policy, and ultimately taking pragmatic action.

Asheville Chamber of Commerce

Monthly report on demographic and economic trends and analysis

NEMAC at UNC-Asheville

Dozens of indicators and data visualizations of the health of local forests and ecoystems

Buncombe County Health Department

A 2010 report summarizing data, assets, and practices that increase community health

Asheville-Buncombe Hub

A quality of life report that draws 16 indicators to capture a snapshot of quality of life in the community


Trends Community Indicators

http://www.ashevillechamber.org/economicdevelopment/demographics.asp

http://orgs.unca.edu/nemac/index.html

Drawing from another ABSCI report, the Hub Indicator Project (HIP), we were able to analyze four major determinants of quality of life (social, economic, natural, and built environment), and to review four variables within each, for a total of sixteen indicators. While this is less than many similar community indicator projects, we feel that having a smaller number makes the report easier to understand, less costly to maintain, and creates the same amount of value as a larger project.

Data was gathered from trusted sources of information, such as the Department of Commerce, the EPA, NC DENR, and the Renaissance Computing Initiative. Each indicator was scored Green, Red, or Yellow depending on whether its long-term trend was positive, neutral, or negative. The eight indicators that pertain to natural or built environment are displayed here. For the full sixteen indicators, see the Hub Indicator Project.

The Recommendations are mixed. The region has enough water for the foreseeable future, though stream quality rates have fallen. Air quality is largely neutral, though new EPA standards will be harder to meet. We are consuming more energy and driving more each year, contributing to climate change. Development is increasing and the number of farms are falling. Overall, our built and natural environment is not in dire straits, but development will continue to challenge our ecosystems.

Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Community Initiative Sustainability Trends, Actions and Recommendations (STAR)

Trends Hub Indicator Project

# Farms

Stream Quality Index

# Waste and Recycling %

% Land Use

Water Consumption

Vehicle Miles Traveled

Air Quality Index Energy Consumption

Page 9

Data from RENCI-Charlotte Data from NC DOT

Data from UNC Asheville Data from City of Asheville

Data from EPA Data from Progress Energy

Data from NC DENR Data from US Census

Components of

a Climate Plan:

1.Identify sources

and amounts of

greenhouse gas

emissions

2.Engage

community in

plan to reduce

emissions

3.Create

strategies to

stimulate

economic

development

from reduction

plan

4.Plan for climate

adaptation

City Sustainability Management Plan

The City of Asheville has taken the proactiveapproach of crafting a community vision for a future for Asheville that is based on sustainability. A Sustainability Vision and Guiding Principles statement was developed based on facilitated discussion with the City’s Office of Sustainability, Department Directors, the City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and Environment (SACEE), as well as information from the City Council’s 2008-2009 Strategic Plan.

In addition, a definition of sustainability was tailored for the City of Asheville. A consensus-based definition of sustainability and key sustainability principles provide the underlying foundation for the Plan and constitute a vision for Asheville’s future.

Warren Wilson Climate Action Plan

In November 2007 WWC commissioned a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Task Force to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP). A cross-sector group of administrators, faculty, staff, students and volunteers, along with a science advisor– an IPCC scientist based at Asheville’s National Climatic Data Center – worked together to develop the CAP. It is now in its 4th year.

Although every goal and strategy has been fully vetted and appears to be viable and sound, progress will be monitored quarterly, and the plan will be amended as needed in order to ensure a dynamic, affordable, and effective approach to meet short-term goals and eventually achieve carbon neutrality.

Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Community Initiative Sustainability Trends, Actions and Results (STAR) Fall 2010 Page 10

Trends Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Assessment Local Sustainability Assets & Risks


Due to the generally progressive nature of Asheville’s residents and the natural beauty of the region, many people assume that Asheville is a world-class example of sustainable development. In fact, while recent years have seen a number of successful sustainability initiatives, we generally rank far behind trend-setting cities of roughly similar size, such as Boulder, CO, Santa Cruz, CA and Eugene, OR. Below is a summary assessment of the various elements that comprise ‘sustainability’:

Energy

Budding clean energy economy built around solar and efficiencyCity and Warren Wilson pioneering carbon footprint reduction plans×Mimimal local energy production despite abundant wind resources×High carbon footprint due to coal-based electricity source

Housing

Growing number of LEED certified and Healthy Built HomesCode becoming sustainable (density and affordability bonus)×‘Green’ housing still much more expensive and harder to find×Lack of financing to ease upfront burden for efficiency/ renewables

Transportation

Regional transportation plan includes multi-modal, trains, climate impactsNew public revenue source for bus line improvements×Transportation “pinch points” into region vulnerable to land slides×Increasing vehicle miles as more rural residents commute into Buncombe

Agriculture

Surge in attendance at farmer’s markets and CSAsStrong farming heritage and cultural support for farmers×Limited arable land for massive food cultivation×Decreasing number of farms and farmers

Natural Resources

Decrease in number of poor air quality daysNew regulations to protect steep slopes, stream quality×Water quality degraded in recent years despite long-term improvement×Ecosystems threatened by invasive species, wildfires, drought

Land Use

Increasing acceptance of smart growth/ new urbanism principlesNew GIS tools allow deeper understanding of green infrastructureMany residents resistant to further important zoning regulationsRate of land development exceeds ability to provide services

Of particular interest to many community stakeholders is a review of local ‘master plans’. The Asheville region has no shortage of talented planners, and a large number of citizens active in planning and policy issues. In 2009 the City Manager analyzed just the city’s outstanding plans and noted over $200 million in unfunded (and unprioritized) recommendations. We took this analysis one step further, reviewing twelve of these plans in terms of its author, who the report was written for, what data and maps were collected, whether the plan ‘spoke’ to other related plans, and common themes addressed throughout each.

The Master Plans reviewed included those seen in the image to the right. The diagram illustrates that these plans, despite their individual excellence, fail to build upon one another and leverage common data, making it difficult to prioritize action items and funding opportunities. A number of observations emerged from this process: –The majority of plans cover transportation related issues–Most plans failed to reference other plans–Little analysis of natural resource /energy use were performed–Quality of life / sustainability were not typically addressed–Economic development issues were not typically addressed–The majority of plans did engage citizens and citizen groups–The majority of plans were short term in focus–‘Action items’ often not specific, measurable, or actionable

Opportunities exist to better integrate the plans, saving time and money; incorporate environmental and economic issues; and make better recommendations. Further analysis needs to be performed to verify the total outstanding dollar amount of open recommendations and link them to potential funding sources.

Relationship Map of Asheville master plans: Relationships were determined from citations within plans of other plans. The arrows lead from the plan, which contained the citation to the plan cited. Note that due to the order in which plans were written that newer plans often had more relationships coming from them.

Asheville City Development Plan 2025

Asheville Sustainability Management Plan

Asheville Transit Master Plan

Downtown Master Plan

Asheville Bicycle Plan

10-Year Homelessness Plan

Affordable Housing Plan

Wilma Dykeman Riverway Plan

Parking Action Plan

Parks, Recreation, Cultural Arts, & Greenways Plan

Asheville Pedestrian Plan


Assessment Local Master Plans

A number of common themes emerged from our review of the plans:–Collaborate with County to set 80% carbon footprint reduction by 2050

–Provide options to allow residents to invest in renewable and efficiency

–Special village districts: walkable, mixed use, compact, sense of place

–Build eco-neighborhoods

–Integrated regional approach vs. silo/piecemeal approach

–Connectivity with bike/ pedestrian/ greenway transit

–Local bond referendum to finance infrastructure investment

–Transit corridor overlay districts that encourage affordable housing by

providing incentives for mixed-use, high-density, infill development

–Need for coordinated promotion and marketing of agricultural products

and services, along with education and training programs for farmers

REGIONAL

LOCAL

POLICIES

PROGRAMS

CORE: Radical Collaboration

Green Infrastructure

Localized Economy

Neighborhood Resilience

Creative Economy


Recommendations Strategic Vision

We have defined sustainability in the context of the Asheville region; reviewed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; analyzed trends; identified best practices; and studied local planning efforts. Our conclusion:

The best way to mitigate our biggest risks (economic and built environment) are to leverage our greatest assets: community and natural environment.

To tie it all together, we developed a model for sustainable community development. This model incorporates business-oriented and policy oriented actions with a regional and local perspective. It ties together various concepts that support sustainability: self sufficiency, resiliency, livability, innovation, and collaboration.

This isn’t just a theory … we have listed specific actions drawn from the input of over 50 local leaders and a review of over 25 national sustainability plans.


Recommended Strategy #1 Green Smart Growth Infrastructure

Page 14

The first and most timely strategy addresses our recent un-sustainable development of land and housing, exemplified by increasing commute times and polluted streams, by utilizing some of our under-used assets: access to credit, receptivity to progressive policy, and underemployed construction workers.

This is a regional, policy-oriented solution, though its effects are certainly felt locally, and businesses and nonprofits stand to benefit. The solution is to embrace the principles of Smart Growth.

To make it more than just a buzzword, regional leaders must come together to assess the priority of our infrastructure needs, linking capital projects to economic development. To do the job right, we recommend that our region look to the example of Boulder, CO and Eugene, OR, each of whom took on over $100M in Build America Bonds to finance their green infrastructure needs.

While recommending debt in this political environment will be a challenge, the fact is that it is an investment, not an expense, and it will create immediate economic and environmental benefits.

From Smart Growth America

What are the best practices that we can implement in our region?

–Transit-oriented design is the creation of mixed-use residential and commercial areas intended to maximize access to public transporation. As 60% of the working force of the surrounding counties commutes to Asheville (UNC study), this would be a popular rural strategy

–Oakland and Denver have incorporated affordable, green housing with their transit nodes, creating an extra social/ ecological benefit

–Green the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)! The City of Asheville’s Sustainability Advisory Committee is working on this, but we need the whole region involved. The Urban Land Institute’s Sustainable Code is a potential model

–Bring back passenger rail! Plans are in the works but moving too slowly. Until that time, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems provide the benefits of transit with dedicated, direct bus serve in rural areas

–Integrate the greenway, bikeway, and recreation plans across the region into a unified whole with prioritized projects and shared resources. Portland’s Green Belt is a potential model

–Asset mapping allows citizens and groups to better understand our infrastructure and its needs. Land of Sky Regional Council’s Green Infrastructure program is a national best practice and a good start


Recommended Strategy #2 Localize the (Food and Energy) Economy

Page 15

Locally and throughout the nation, we’ve seen a loss of farms and farmland during the preceding decades. Our economic system rewards bigger operations and economies of scale, making life challenging for small farms – and forcing us to rely on imports for 99% of the $1.5 billion worth of food we consume in WNC (according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project).

It doesn’t make sense for our independently-spirited region to be so reliant on others. What happens to us if global commodity prices spike and the food trucks stop rolling in to town? While we lack the arable land necessary to grow all of our food, setting a modest goal of 5% food self-sufficiency by 2015 would bring an additional $218 million into the region along with 1,500 (per ABSCI analysis). What can we do to make this happen?

–Utilizing empty rooftop space for hydroponic greenhouses (Brooklyn)–City incentives for greenroofs (“cash for grass”) and rain catchment–More community gardens in low income neighborhoods (Pisgah View)–FoodHub – “the Match.com for locavores” connects farmers to eaters–‘Transfer of Development Rights’ (TDR) helps farmers preserve land–Bloomington, IN regional food self-sufficiency plan–School gardens – RRR program ‘Green Teams’ & permaculture projects–Local government “lead by example” purchase of more local food–Incentives for farmers to use biochar to fertilize and remove carbon–Milwaukee’s Community Food Center and Philadelphia’s Small Plot Intensive Farming enable large production in small spaces

Energy is another “commodity” whose production we take for granted. Similar to food, however, it’s a resource whose absence, due to global price spikes resulting from climate or economic disasters and the onset of Peak Oil, would decimate our fragile economy. Alternatively, the creation of an efficient and renewable energy infrastructure achieves crucial co-benefits including greater self-sufficiency, lower carbon emissions, and primes a new growth engine for the economy.

Currently, almost 50% of our energy production comes from coal, the largest contributor to climate change, and a resource which loses almost 80% of it’s energy content during combustion and transmission. (Much of the remainder comes from nuclear). Less than 1% of our energy is produced renewably from local wind, sun, and geothermal resources. What can we do to fix the situation?

–Community Choice Energy allows citizens to pool their purchasing power to buy clean energy (Bay Area, Portland)–Portland also developed a strategic plan for a renewable energy cluster–Boulder, CO invested $100M in innovative ‘smart grid’ techologies–NC mandates 12.5% renewable/ efficiency target for utilities by 2020, which lags significantly behind California and Oregon, who target 50%–Germany incentivizes renewable production with feed-in tariff rates–Austin, TX Green Bank provides revolving loan funds for residents–Energy Best Practice Compendium is an extensive report on cutting-edge ideas in state and local renewables and efficiency–Green local codes to facilitate wind turbines and solar installations

http://www.growingpower.org/headquarters.htm

http://www.spinfarming.com/

http://cleanpowersf.org/

http://www.reeep.org/file_upload/5272_tmpphp4EtwHc.pdf


Recommended Strategy #3 Support the Creative Class and Innovation Economy

Page 16

Knowledge is the form of economic development with the lowest carbon footprint…

% Creative Employment

The Creative Class and the Knowledge Economy

Asheville, character, authenticity, and distinctiveness have become key ingredients for our new economy. The future rests in the aggregation of qualities that distinguish it from a dozen other cities of similar size. Creating and enhancing this essential character is becoming the new facet of economic development. (HUB Plan)

While economic self-sufficiency is a necessary goal, the lowest carbon-footprint development possible is in the knowledge economy. Asheville must invest in its own capacities as a center for innovation and creativity. We must be “Unique and open enough to be who you are; wired enough to collaborate with anyone anywhere; bubbling with scientific and artistic innovation and creativity; focused on innovation as ‘commercially applied creativity’; and committed to the development of place-based jobs.”

What existing community efforts can we support and help collaborate?–Asheville Arts Council is developing a new presence and strategy to provide grants, business support, and innovative programming–Arts2People is creating an artists’ resource center–A new performing arts center will enhance our arts-destination brand–River Arts District redevelopment (led by the City) builds art into development plans, and provides studio space for artists

Yet we are actually under-represented in the arts

economy compared to NC

City of 1,000 Easels (Sept ‘10)

Elumenati’s GeoDome at RENCI-UNCA

Creativity and Sustainable Development

In the Asheville region we have a wealth of creative assets: a renowned artist’s scene, leading digital media talents, filmmakers, and world-class visualization expertise. Combined with the presence of NCDC, the largest databank of environmental data in the world, we have a potent recipe for building an economic cluster around creative ways to use, visualize, and interact with climate data.

Organizations like RENCI, Elumenati, and the Media Arts Project have already made an impact. To be a true cluster, however, we need to grow businesses that supply to, or are supplied by, existing organizations. The presence of the NCDC Cooperative Institute for Climate Services will bring 50 scientists and several million dollars worth of impact to the area. If we think creatively we may be able to fill the gaps in the value chain and create new companies based on these advantages:–Serious Games are videogames that allows players to tackle real world issues such as health epidemics and climate change–Attract/ grow companies based on our health and climate data sets–Attract/ grow companies targeting the exploding ‘app’ market.–Involve artists in efforts such as the design of community indicators and regional asset mapping–Design products and services that ‘nudge’ citizens behaviors–What other kinds of ideas can we HATCH?


Recommended Strategy #4 Build (Neighborhood and Village) Local Resilience

Page 17

“How do we define our villages? What makes each of them unique? What connects them? What separates them? Is Asheville one village, or rather a union of villages combined by necessity? Are our greenways that are working, or have energy around them, tied to our villages (the answer is yes). Are our villages connected by a range of transportation options? How many of our villages are NOT on transportation corridors? And if they aren't, are they really villages?” - Jim Fox, RENCI-UNCA

Even if political dynamics prevented us from achieving a comprehensive regional strategy (see Strategy #5), an opportunity exists to develop local-area village and neighborhood plans. Why do this? At a micro-level, issues are no longer abstract (global carbon levels impacting the weather, national deflation impacting the economy, etc.) . They are in-your-face, clearly shared, and common.

If citizens cannot rely on our increasingly gridlocked federal government and increasingly cash-strapped state and local government, we must learn to become more resilient. While challenging, there is the possibility that this new neighbor-reliance (versus relying on the global economy to supply our needs) will actually increase social capital, tie community bonds, and yield higher quality of life in and of itself.

Community resilience is a community’s ability to withstand and recover from hard times. Even in the case of a widespread emergency, residents can meet their basic needs including food, water, energy, transportation, housing, and economic and social services. (BayLocalize.org Community Resilience Toolkit)

We recommend facilitating local resilience with greater support from local government. A grant and low/no interest loan fund invested in grassroots neighborhood and village projects would be inexpensive, create tremendous goodwill (if few actual jobs), increase volunteerism and sense of belonging, and perhaps have measurable impact on local sustainability indicators.

In Portland, OR the entirety of the city is covered by neighborhoods featuring empowered community associations. We recommend taking this one step further and plugging these associations into a regional collaboration framework, giving ordinary citizens the chance to sit alongside elected officials and give voice to underserved communities.

Some examples of local neighborhood best practices include:–The Asheville Design Center/ WNC Alliance Blueprints program has created neighborhood plans for Burton Street and others–The YWCA’s Pioneering Healthy Communities initiative is prioritizing the built environment and neighborhood resilience

Urban village map from Asheville 2025

Sustainability Alliance of the Mountains (2008)

Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Community Initiative

Prototype community collaboration Asset Map by ABSCI

Recommended Strategy #5 Radical Collaboration

Page 18

An example of Indicators mixed with Scenario Planning from Marin County

“Leadership models in use today are the result of top-down, bureaucratic paradigms, which are no longer effective for today’s knowledge based economy.” (Mary Uhl-Bien, ‘Complexity Leadership Theory).

To succeed, regional leaders must avoid two common traps: fragmentation (when individuals pursue their own agenda disconnected from a regional strategy) and insularity (when leaders pursue old development strategies without acknowledging emerging realities). Overcoming political jurisdictions is a challenge, as development is usually practiced “one county at a time.” (Economic Development Agency). It is also challenging to bring diverse coalitions together, and to reach out to communities who normally do not the power to make decisions. A new way of collaborating and engaging is required that “aligns, links and leverages assets to pursue new market opportunities.” Strategies are needed for both the interaction between established decision making entities (local government, business and nonprofit leaders, institutions, and state and federal agencies), as well as in outreach to the community.

We recommend the formation of a regional sustainability council, meeting on a bi-monthly basis (following the lead of NC Triangle Region’s Council). Led by an elected director with the support of paid staff and facilitated by professionals, this council is not another ‘meet-and-greet’ opportunity, but a mechanism for enhancing democracy, collaboration, innovation, and resource sharing. Elements of this collaborative process include:–Involvement of neighborhood/ village associations–Cutting edge decision science processes–Group consent procedures to set goals for indicators–Collaborative asset map tools–Regional greenhouse gas inventory/ reduction plans–Scenario plans that yield prioritized and transparent decisions

Collaboration isn’t easy, and many local groups have tried it. But this time we have to get it right. Time is running out… we have the tools and the talent… and there’s lots of work to do.

Sustainability Trends, Actions and Recommendations (STAR)

Recommendations Conclusions and Next Steps


The Asheville region faces a dual threat that undermines the ability of our citizens to achieve greater well-being: long-term economic recession and increasing stress on our built and natural environment. The solution we propose is for the region’s citizens and leadership to embrace our bold vision – some might say audacious – that we can not only survive, but thrive, by investing in our greatest assets: our resilience, self sufficiency, livability, and our creativity.

It’s time to put an end to our ‘business as usual’ practice of private organizations going it alone, unable to collaborate, and of government acting unilaterally, unable to reach out. STAR recommends that the region adopt a hub-and-spoke model of local organizations and citizens who address issues of importance to their neighborhoods and communities, who then come together to assess regional issues and partner for regional solutions. In this way we allow each community to chart its own unique course, while providing resources for those times that we need to work together as a region.

While the efforts of volunteers and retirees are commendable, volunteer effort alone will not take us all the way. As any business leader knows, when you offer a “product” that people want, a recession is the best time to invest. With interest rates at historical lows, what better time to invest in our community. We propose a $150 million Build America Bond to finance the initiatives outlined in this report. These funds are necessary to improve our infrastructure, to kick start the local food and energy economies, and to provide resources to the citizens, artists, and other grass-roots organizations who make life here so rich, but typically don’t get a chance to share in the wealth.

The following page lists the specific action items, potential partners, timelines, and funding requirements. This is the start - not the end - of a community dialogue about our common values and the way we can improve our quality of life. The ABSCI has a wealth of information on public policies, programs and best practices that can help interested parties take on major initiatives.

An artist’s “mind map” of a community engagement session June 2010

Sustainable Community

Transport-ation

Housing Food

Energy

Thriving Economy

Culture, Equity & Diversity


Action Plan

Strategy Action Timeframe Partners BudgetGoal 1: Build a regional green infrastructure

Smart Growth a Community Foundationb Land of Skyc

Infrastructure Buildout a bc

Goal 2: Develop a regionalized economyLocal Food a ASAP

b Transition Townc

Local Energy a bc

Goal 3: Neighborhood ResilienceEcoDistricts a Asheville Design Center

bc

Storytelling a Buncombe Healthbc

Goal 4: Grassroots economic developmentCreative a Asheville Arts Council

b Arts2Peoplec MAP/ Hatchfest

Alternative health a Comp/Alt Health Inst.b Mission Hospitalc

a strategic vision for regional economic resiliency fall 2010

Documents