Game Plan
The purpose of this blog is to envision what a durable Atlanta would look like, and how we might get there. I use the term “durable” rather than “sustainable” because a city may be sustainable (that is, able to continue its existence for an indefinite period of time because it is not using resources today that will be needed tomorrow) and also be a poor place where no one would want to live. The word “durable,” to me, suggests a more robust, vital place.
Because Atlanta is so far from being durable or even sustainable now, change is required across a broad range of areas. This blog will necessarily, as a result, touch on a large number of topics. Posts will generally, however, fall into one of the following categories:
1. Principles. I hope to explore and articulate some of the principles on which a durable Atlanta would need to operate- such as long-term thinking, a respect for limits, complexity, etc.
2. Local Issues. I will certainly post on the issues Atlanta faces and potential solutions to these problems. The solutions will be implied by the principles described above.
3. State, National and Global Issues. Atlanta, like everywhere else, is becoming more connected to the rest of the world, and this city’s success will depend in part on solutions to problems developed at the state, national and global levels. Some posts will comment on these larger problems.
4. Reviews. Some posts will discuss books and other things I am reading that deal with our environmental challenges.
In the course of these posts, I will try to pay particular attention to (a) how solving environmental problems can solve other problems as well, and (b) opportunities, particularly business opportunities, likely to arise as we transition from an unsustainable city to a durable one.
Fully imagining the durable city as well as a blueprint for how to get there from here are obviously not achievable goals for an individual blogger, but the hope is that this site can contribute, in a small way, to the task.