Guiding Principles for Sustainable
Community Design

• Community design is a collaborative planning process with the immediate goal of improving the quality of life for all community members of the ecosystem—from the smallest insects to us humans and from the waterways to the skies above.

• Effective community design creates economic opportunities for local residents at different scales of interest—from global connections to bioregional needs and immediate solutions.

• Sustainable community planning and design depends on alternative forms of energy and transportation. Lifestyle patterns, consumption habits, and production technologies change to accommodate “closing the loop” and living with a no-waste policy.

• Sustainable community design allows for protection of open space, regeneration of native vegetation, stormwater mitigation, increased green space, local food production at various scales, and sensitivity to public-private zones.

• When successful community design increases community knowledge of local history, cultural landscape, and sacred ground.