At COP 16 yesterday I attended a number of sessions on building sustainable communities and cities. Most of the presentations were based on US models, which define a sustainable community as one in which people have multiple, convenient transport and housing options.

The programmes and strategies being espoused to develop sustainable communities are based on the following six principles:

1. Providing more transportation choices
2. Expanding access to affordable housing, particularly housing located close to transportation
3. Enhancing economic competitiveness—giving people access to jobs, education and services while giving businesses access to markets
4. Targeting federal funds at existing communities to spur revitalisation and protect rural landscapes
5. Increasing collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to better target investments and improve accountability
6. Valuing all communities’ unique qualities—whether they are urban, suburban, or rural

While I agree with these principles, I think that action needs to start from the ground up. The potential power of this approach is something Ideas Shop has already seen through our work with Inspiring Communities and other community-led development project in New Zealand. We believe these principles need to be seen as ways of supporting community-driven initiatives and profiting from the changes, such as infrastructure development, required to build truly sustainable cities.

Local and central government can guide and support their communities by providing specialist expertise and coordination. They also need to educate the community about realistic timeframes. (The challenge for communities is that becoming sustainable is a long-term project.)

The potential for corporate alignment with sustainable development is huge, but needs to go beyond sponsorship and finding new advertising venues. After all, look who’s getting all the mileage out of London’s new bike hire scheme. (It’s not the official sponsors.)

Sustainable cities lead to economic growth and improved social outcomes. The best way to pair the two is by letting the grassroots drive the changes, and businesses deliver the goods, services, and values to match.