60 Economic dimensions and socio-cultural patterns
data, and sensitivity analyses (El Serafy 1991 ,Perrings 1991 ). A few solutions are
listed as illustrations, but governments and non-governmental organizations in
each urban region will have their own issues and methods to achieve these goals
for the long term.
The following approaches normally enhance flexibility, adaptability, and
stability in an urban region: (1) conserve land; (2) protect specific resources;
(3) develop buffers; (4) store resources; (5) diversify activities; (6) change
technologies; (7) maintain diverse types of resources; (8) maintain redundancy,
e.g., 3--5 examples of each structure or resource type; (9) save the rarest pieces;
(10) have high connectivity in the transport system; (11) maintain high circuitry
(lots of loops) in the transportation network; (12) provide widespread modal
choice in transportation; and (13) channel development to a few satellite cities
rather than indefinitely growing the central city. The reader’s ideas can probably
double this list. To achieve stability two long-term overriding challenges need
solutions. Get through tough periods. And adapt to a changing world.
Consider the resident family on the outskirts of Kingston (Jamaica) or Jakarta
who has a small fenced garden around the home. That garden may have dozens
of species carefully planted and tended that provide food throughout the year:
mangoes up top in a tree; an understory of coffee, bananas and papaya; manioc
and other valuable shrubs; smaller plants below; vines in the right places; and
chickens and other animals all around. The family is buffered from the some-
times devastating economic fluctuations at the national level. Also, with a highly
diverse (biodiverse) garden system, food plants may be seamlessly substituted to
adapt to changing conditions. So, in addition to short-term economic activities,
both the Norwegian nation and the Jamaican family have thought and invested
in the long term. Economic game theory and ‘‘What if?” exercises can be done
not only at these scales, but also for the urban region.Sustainability
Sustainable development, sustainability, economic sustainability, sus-
tainable environment, and so forth are much-used terms, yet little-used in this
book, mainly because definitions vary all over the map and are usually tailored
totheuser’s objective (Daly1990,Rogerset al.2006). Allsustainabilityconcepts
focus on the long term, over decades or generations, rather than the usual plan-
ning and design horizon of years or a couple of decades. All normally imply
abalance between natural and human conditions. Sustainable development
emphasizes development, and how to do it. Sustainability suggests an overall
condition, often global in perspective.Sustainable environmentsuggests a more
specific spatial area, such as an urban region or portion thereof, amenable to
planning.