DISCUSSION

  Given the many obstacles to sustainable community development discussed above, it is doubtful that communities which are net contributors to global sustainability can be created in the near term. Nevertheless, efforts are underway among planners and architects to develop design principles that integrate the social, economic, and ecological aspects of a region into a balanced and holistic entity. The New Urbanism, as this emerging movement is called, focuses on the construction of humanly scaled neighborhoods and communities characterized by mixed land uses that encourage alternative forms of transportation such as mass transit, walking, and bicycling. Other elements include an emphasis on a wide variety of housing types to meet the needs of a diverse population, the preservation of agricultural land and open spaces, and the construction of public spaces as a central feature of community life. Above all, proponents of the New Urbanism argue that:

"Understanding the qualities of nature in each place, expressing it in the design of communities, integrating it within our towns and respecting its balance are critical to making the human place sustainable and spiritually nourishing" (Calthorpe, 1994:xii).

  This kind of comprehensive approach to planning can be most fully implemented in the construction of new towns. In existing communities, established land use patterns and infrastructure largely limit the scope of applicability to infill and redevelopment. Hence, in most communities, the New Urbanism contributes to sustainability in an incremental fashion. But incrementalism is likely to be a hallmark of all efforts to develop sustainable communities; there are no sweeping measures that exist for achieving sustainability in a short time span. Practically, though, the question remains as to what kinds of actions will contribute to sustainable community development. Again, Missoula, Montana's, experience provides insights into how a community can begin to become sustainable.

  Missoula lies in a broad mountain valley surrounded by coniferous forests whose soft wood makes good paper. A pulp mill was constructed upwind of the city in the 1950s, and its airborne pollutants often got trapped by wintertime air inversions. As area residents increasingly turned to wood as a fuel source in the wake of the energy crises in the 1970s, Missoula's pollution problem became so bad that it was causing serious health problems and discouraging new forms of economic activity (Kemmis, 1990).

  One solution to this problem would have been to regulate wood burning or ban the use of wood stoves entirely. While this may have improved the local air quality, it also would have meant increased reliance on nonrenewable energy sources such as coal, gas, or electricity. However, with the proper type of stove and compressed wood pellets, wood can be a very clean source of energy. This is the route the people of Missoula and the surrounding hinterland chose. "There is now a significant handful of local businesses within Missoula's city region which are profitably engaged in manufacturing clean burning stoves, or compressed wood pellets to burn in them, or furnace accessories to enable commercial or institutional consumers to burn these pellets" (Kemmis, 1990:91-92). The success of each of these industries has reinforced the others and created new community-based forms of economic activity. For instance, several owners of small sawmills have begun discussing the possibility of creating a supplier's cooperative to recycle sawdust into wood pellets. If successful, this effort will not only ensure a plentiful supply of fuel, it also will provide much needed cash to mill owners whose operations are only marginally profitable.

  While Missoula still has much work to do if it hopes to solve its air pollution problem, this entrepreneurial approach highlights several important elements of sustainable community development. First, Missoula has taken steps to reduce reliance on nonrenewable resources, and it has done so in a way that simultaneously contributes to global sustainability. Second, in the process of searching for ways to reduce pollution, Missoula has created new economic opportunities and has started to develop a self-reliant regional economy that could further reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. Third, Missoula's experience demonstrates the importance of linking development objectives to the peculiarities of particular places. Fourth, and most importantly, Missoula achieved its environmental and economic goals as a result of local people acting together and finding common ground between individual interests and the interest of the community.