Communities meet the challenge of a more sustainable future

To mark Earth Day, the County of Los Angeles convened city leaders to participate in its first-ever countywide sustainability plan.

The two-year process is being led by the County’s Chief Sustainability Office, alongside Buro Happold and researchers from UCLA. Recognizing the unique opportunity to solve sustainability issues at a regional scale through partnerships that span city and county boundaries, the Los Angeles County Sustainability Plan will culminate in an inclusive vision for growth that sets regional goals, targets, and strategies to support healthy communities, environmental stewardship, and a just economy.

In undertaking a comprehensive planning effort, Los Angeles County joins municipalities and institutions around the country that are acting to mitigate global climate change and address local environmental challenges. The University of Pittsburgh hosted a week of activities and celebrated the recently released Pitt Sustainability Plan . This strategic framework sets ambitious goals and aspirations for sustainability across the university’s campuses and created a culture of shared responsibility for the University’s impact on surrounding communities, the region, and the world.

Later this year, the City of Cambridge will unveil both Envision Cambridge, a comprehensive plan for a more livable, sustainable, and equitable Cambridge, as well as a dedicated Climate Action Plan that integrates the city’s pioneering policies and programs to achieve the long-term goal of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050.

The common thread to these planning initiatives? Achieving leaps in sustainability and deep carbon reductions requires holistic strategies that integrate innovations in planning, engineering and policy making. Buro Happold is guiding cities, counties, and institutions in bringing resources and opportunities together into strategic frameworks for a more sustainable future.