Sustainability and Resilience Planning for Local Governments

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Defining, Initiating, and Reviewing Sustainability and Resilience Planning

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 1-16

3. Mapping Out the Sustainability and Resilience Process for Organizations and Communities

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 17-32

4. Identifying the Internal and External Stakeholders, the Level of Organizational and Community Engagement, and the Target Champions

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 33-43

5. Measuring, Tracking, Monitoring, and Reporting Sustainability and Resilience Progress

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 45-65

6. Implementing a Sustainability and Resilience Plan: Initiatives and Programs

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 67-83

7. Examining the Intersection of Sustainability and Resilience

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 85-98

8. Evaluating Tools and Resources for Sustainability and Resilience Planning

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 99-110

9. Concluding Remarks: Future of Sustainability and Resilience Planning

   • Haris Alibašić

   Pages 111-116

10. Erratum to: Measuring, Tracking, Monitoring, and Reporting Sustainability and Resilience Progress

    • Haris Alibašić

    Pages E1-E1

11. Back Matter

    Pages 117-120

    PDF

This book details a process of creating a long-term sustainability and resilience plan for local governments to use in designing and implementing sustainability and resilience-related policies, initiatives, and programs. It offers guidance and methods in applying sustainability and resilience strategies to attain the prosperity of organizations and communities. The recommendations in this book are based on the author's years of experience in directing applied resilience and sustainability planning for a local government, and years of research covering diverse aspects of sustainability and resilience from climate change, climate preparedness and readiness, quadruple bottom line strategy, greenhouse gas emission reduction policies, climate adaptation and mitigation to sustainable energy policies and initiatives.

Chapter one defines terms related to sustainability and resilience and addresses how the topics reshape local governments and communities. Chapter two maps out the sustainability and resilience process for organizations and communities, determining the appropriate steps to be taken at each level of sustainability and resilience planning. Chapter three identifies community and organizational level engagement, with internal and external stakeholders, including designs necessary throughout these processes. Chapter four contains measuring, tracking, monitoring and reporting methods using the quadruple bottom line strategy, and developing a sustainability and resilience progress report to ensure accountability, transparency, and good governance. Then, chapter five details the implementation of a sustainability and resilience plan once it is established, describing potential programs and initiatives to achieve sustainable and resilient communities. Chapter six describes the intersection between sustainability and resilience, and chapter seven examines the tools and resources available to create a practical sustainability and resilience plan. Chaptereight concludes the text by addressing the future of sustainability and resilience, and complexities of the modern dynamics of the interconnected systems in cities, counties, and organizations, and recommends how local government administrators in their planning methods and strategies must consider these challenges.

• Resilience planning guide
• Sustainability planning
• Triple Bottom Line
• Urban planning
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Modern dynamics of interconnected systems
• Adaptability
• Responsibility
• landscape/regional and urban planning
• sustainability

“As a primer, the strengths of Alibašić’s book include: 1) a comprehensive discussion of the history of sustainability and resilience planning; 2) definitions of key terms; and, 3) ideas for and examples of communities—“spotlights”—where these ideas have been implemented. Importantly, the approach Alibašić advocates for public administrators to implement and ensure sustainability and resilience also includes metrics for assessing progress along the way, further ensuring that the rhetoric will be translated into tangible achievements. In this way, Alibašić offers what might be called an “integrated approach” for planning: context, theory, application, assessment, and recommendations for future planning.
Alibašić’s book also provides those who teach public administration—especially those teaching courses in county/city/municipal governance—a helpful resource.” (Richard M. Jacobs, Ph.D., Professor of Public Administration, Department of Public Administration, Villanova University, Villanova, PA)

“Haris Alibašić has written a masterful primer for those interested in sustainability and resilience.  The concise and factual review of the roles local government portrayed in this book is a must-read for any elected and appointed official in counties, cities, townships, and villages.  From practical to theoretical, the author weaves through an important narrative on why cities and their leaders must engage in sustainability and resilience planning. For those who live and breathe city planning, this book offers a greater understanding of how we implement and measure the quality of life and sustainable improvements in our cities, preparing them for the worst and the best of times ahead.” (John Dailey, The City of Tallahassee, Mayor)

 

 

 

• University of West Florida, Pensacola, USA

  Haris Alibašić

Dr. Haris Alibašić is an Assistant Professor in the Public Administration Program at the University of West Florida. He earned his masters in public administration at Grand Valley State University in 2004, and his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration at Walden University in 2014. His areas of expertise include sustainability, climate preparedness and resilience, urban politics, political economy, public administration, ethics, budgeting and finance, and policy. Prior to joining academic, Dr. Alibašić had 22 years of expertise and experience in the public sector, including working for the United Nations Mission and the Office of High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and directing energy, sustainability, and legislative affairs policies and programs for Grand Rapids,  Michigan. Dr. Alibašić is a founder of Alibasic & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm offering services in resilience and sustainability planning, strategic planning, and sustainable energy policy. In 2013, Dr. Alibašić advised the Resilient Communities of America on climate resilience and went on to serve as co-chair for the energy sector of the White House Climate Preparedness and Resilience Task Force in 2014. In March 2017, Dr. Alibašić was appointed by the City Council to the City of Pensacola Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Task Force. Dr. Alibašić has written and published extensively on the topics of public administration, administrative evil, sustainability, climate resilience, economic development, and sustainable energy. 

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