Regions and cities in the United States and around the world are developing new tools and strategies for linking the environment to economic development. For much of the past, it was assumed that environmental progress and economic development were at odds. The environment was viewed as a source of raw materials and energy and a place to dispose of industrial wastes. Often, it was thought that environmental progress generated costs that came at the expense of wealth generation, industrial expansion, and jobs.
But, today, the environment is increasingly seen as a key element of economic development. Innovative cities and regions are forging new strategies for integrating environmental assets into their economic development agendas by targeting environmental technology firms, supporting efforts to implement advanced pollution prevention technology in industry, positioning firms to tap into rapidly growing green markets, and improving their quality of life through investments in their environmental amenities or natural capital. Across the world, many regions have sought to unify their economic development, social, and environmental agendas under the rubric, "sustainable development".
To both help motivate and monitor their ongoing efforts, regions are developing new measures, indicators and benchmarking systems - referred to as environmental/sustainability indicators - to chart their progress toward joint economic, social, and environmental goals.
This report examines leading regional efforts around the United States to develop environmental or sustainable development strategies, focusing on regional projects on environmental performance/sustainable indicators.
This report has 4 parts :
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