Imagining 2050 Burlington

As a class exercise, I asked groups of three or four people to imagine what a sustainable Burlington, VT would look like in 2050. I wanted an optimistic, yet realistic vision of what would constitute a city that we could consider to meet the idea of sustainability. After some very interesting discussion, the groups shared some of the main themes they imagined in this exercise. A lot of creative details emerged from our discussion, and all four groups shared some common visions. Here is a brief summary of those points:

1. Alternative energy sources would be common and necessary. These ranged from conservation efforts by using energy efficient lighting to capturing the heat from roof-top greenhouses and hot compost piles to heat efficient buildings. Decentralized power sources such as solar panels an win turbines would help to insulate essential services from power outages.
2. Transportation would be very different. Incentives to move away from personal fossil fuel vehicles ranged from an entry toll to bring a car into the city to financial incentives to ride bikes. Students suggested improvements in infrastructure as diverse as bike paths, one-way streets for bikes, alternative energy buses with expanded service routes, and even a solar powered mono-rail.
3. Housing would be denser and more energy-efficient. Suburban sprawl was identified as unsustainable and a more diverse and walkable city center was suggested. Active and passive solar heating would be part of the design of housing.
4. Waste would need to be handled in a more renewable way. Composting would be used to recycle organic wastes, including human waste and this could then be reused as a oil amendment. Non-compostable waste could be burned for heat and electricity. Overall, the groups suggested that a slowing of consumption of non-renewable goods would be necessary and the citizens would need to live more simply with less stuff.
5. The economy would be more concentrated locally. Some groups suggested regulations ore disincentives against multinational corporations in the city center. In addition, locally produced food and other products were highly favored, whether these products were from commercial enterprises or from private gardens or the proposed rooftop greenhouses. This increased reliance on local production was envisioned to assist in providing more jobs for the citizens of the city.
6. Finally, the city would include more green space, including more trees and more gardens.

The discussion surrounding these ideas was very thoughtful and I appreciated every one's input. We have finished reading Tom Wessels' The Myth of Progress and are now moving on to the essays of various authors in Nature's Operating Instructions, edited by Kenny Ausubel. I hope that we can expand on many of these ideas using the examples of work that is already underway towards sustainability. By setting forth some of these visions of a sustainable future we may be better able to see how our individual and collective efforts can move us in the right direction.