Sustainable Community Plan
Culver City Selected by American Institute of Architects for its Community Assistance Program to Promote Sustainability.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design has selected Culver City, as one of eight communities from the United States, to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program in 2007.
The City Council unanimously approved submittal of an application at the City Council meeting of November 27, 2006. On December 29, 2006, Culver City was selected after submitting the application to the SDAT review panel outlining the economic, environmental, and social equity challenges facing the community. Environmental quality and economic health are mutually dependent as a healthy environment is crucial for the long-term prosperity of the city, its residents, and its business community. Awareness, responsibility, involvement and education will be key elements to designing a sustainable plan for Culver City.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment & Development, 1987.) A Culver City Sustainable Community Plan will encompass the concept of sustainability that will guide City policy and underline the long-term impact of policy choices.
The collaborative SDAT program will bring together architects and other professionals assembled from across the country to help the community to develop a roadmap for sustainability. The team of professionals will include architects, planners, hydrologists, economic development specialists, and others and will be selected based on their credentials and the specific needs of the community. To provide the most objective assessment, SDAT members volunteer their time and expertise and are selected from areas outside the project communities. The SDAT will work with Culver City’s community leaders to help shape the community’s strategy for a Sustainable Community Plan.
Culver City Presentation to the SDAT Team (pdf)
AIA SDAT Presentation to Culver City (pdf)
Culver City is Sustainable!The community has expressed a desire to be a sustainable city and staff is currently embarking upon developing the outline for a Sustainable Community Plan (SCP). Becoming a sustainable city to rival other established sustainable cities in the nation is a monumental, yet achievable task. Culver City is proud to be a part of this movement towards environmental stewardship.
BackgroundSeveral events have led to our current position. First, in 1999 the Culver City Community Visioning and Strategic Plan (CCCVSP) was initiated. With over three thousand participants, this multi-year visioning process involved residents, city staff, business owners, and other community stakeholders. The Visioning Plan identified Culver City’s values, goals, and priorities. The Visioning Plan was a five to ten year tool that included recommended actions for both city staff and community members to make Culver City into what its population envisions: sustainable.
The second major impetus for Culver City’s renewed interest in sustainability is the General Plan Update. The majority of Culver City’s General Plan elements are ten to thirty years old.
Where We Are NowBecause of the community’s desire to be sustainable, staff has begun the formal process of developing a Sustainable Community Plan (SCP). The Culver City Sustainable Community Plan (SCP) includes internal and citywide goals in five major areas:
1. Resource Conservation
2. Environmental and Public Health Protection
3. Solid Waste Diversion and Recycling
4. Open Space and Land Use
5. Community Education and Civic ParticipationThe process of developing the Culver City Sustainable Community Plan will result in dialogue and objectives which will serve to guide and inform the General Plan’s updated policies and objectives.
The City Council affirmed their commitment to this proposed plan on November 27, 2006, at which time they authorized staff to proceed in researching development of the Sustainable Community Plan (SCP), appointed a Council subcommittee, and authorized staff to submit a Grant application with the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT).
American Institute of Architects-Sustainable Design Assessment Team SDATAIA Website 