Council Approaches to Implementing Sustainability: a case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?
Date
2010
Authors
Dunn, Carmel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Local government has a key role to play in implementing sustainability. Yet even councils attempting to address the issue of sustainability are often unacceptably slow and ineffective in their endeavours. This study investigates the approaches that councils currently take in implementing sustainability, as this may shed additional light on the slow progress of councils towards sustainability. The approaches of three New South Wales councils were examined and assessed using a model developed for the study that utilised the Ecological Footprint as the primary assessment tool. The model assessed three key aspects of council approaches to implementing sustainability: (1) the issues councils target for change; (2) the methods councils use to change behaviours; and (3) the clarity and holistic nature of their approaches. All three council approaches scored poorly against the model mainly as a result of the councils' failure to target the behaviours of their residents that are causing the greatest ecological harm. The major implication is that councils need to reconsider, and possibly overhaul, their approaches to implementing sustainability as these approaches are unlikely ever to achieve sustainability.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: ecological footprint; environmental planning; local government; state role; strategic approach; sustainability; sustainable development; Australia; New South Wales Ecological Footprint; Local government; Strategic planning; Sustainability
Citation
Collections
Source
Australian Geographer
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
License Rights
Restricted until
2037-12-31
Downloads
File
Description