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The core of our mission is to make a powerful case-supported by sound evidence, rigorous research and compelling real-world examples-for why business leaders should seize upon sustainable development as the greatest opportunity of a lifetime. We will show how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the private sector with a framework for achieving this market shift. The Business Commission's flagship report, to be published in January 2017, will serve as the foundation from which we will launch a number of activities to inspire and mobilise a growing number of business leaders to align their companies with social and environmental impact.

When most people think about economic development, the first thing that often comes to mind is, real estate, infrastructure and the recruitment of businesses. Although, these are indeed elements of economic development, there is more to economic development than only those types of actions. Economic Development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health. The scope of economic development includes the process and policies by which a nation or region improves the economic, political, and social well being of its people. Essentially, a nation's economic development is directly related to its human development, which includes, among other things, health, education, culture and job creation.

SiD has been developed since 2001 as a toolkit to develop long term viable sustainable solutions for business, governments and industry. SiD guides individuals and interdisciplinary groups in incorporating problems beyond material and energy usage, extending to include social, ecological, economic, and political matters. If we ever hope to achieve sustainability, we must optimize for all of these competing areas at the same time - and this is what SiD does.

Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) is a national nonprofit network of organizations working together to advance a sustainable environment while creating high-road -- sustainable, just and inclusive -- economies with opportunities for all. ECC develops energy, green infrastructure and other sustainable development projects that not only contribute to the resilience of our metropolitan regions but also ensure an equity stake for low-income communities of color in the green economy. 

"LocalScale is an organisation focusing on the development of resilient and sustainable local economies through the use of technology, science and regenerative activities. Our vision is that, given the challenges faced by our civilisation, the depletion of natural resources, and the decline of fossil energies, the transformation of our societies will only be possible through positivist approaches and intrinsically guided by principles of sustainable/regenerative and ethical development of local communities, while respecting and restoring natural ecosystems and promoting diversity and inclusion."

Without access to sustainable energy, there can be no sustainable development. One person in five on the planet still lacks access to modern electricity. Twice that number, three billion people, rely on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating. In a global economy, this is inequitable - and unsustainable.

SFI's Cities, Scaling, and Sustainability research effort is creating an interdisciplinary approach and quantitative synthesis of organizational and dynamical aspects of human social organizations, with an emphasis on cities. Different disciplinary perspectives are being integrated in terms of the search for similar dependences of urban indicators on population size - scaling analysis - and other variables that characterize the system as a whole. A particularly important focus of this research area is to develop theoretical insights about cities that can inform quantitative analyses of their long-term sustainability in terms of the interplay between innovation, resource appropriation, and consumption and the make up of their social and economic activity. This focus area brings together urban planners, economists, sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, and complex system theorists with the aim of generating an integrated and quantitative understanding of cities. Outstanding areas of research include the identification of general scaling patterns in urban infrastructure and dynamics around the world, the quantification of resource distribution networks in cities and their interplay with the city's socioeconomic fabric, issues of temporal acceleration and spatial density, and the long-term dynamics of urban systems.

The Democracy Collaborative was established in 2000 to advance a new understanding of democracy for the 21st century and to promote new strategies and innovations in community development that enhance democratic life. Our goal is to change the prevailing paradigm of community economic development-and of the economy as a whole-in the United States toward a new emphasis and system based on: Broadening ownership and stewardship over capital Democracy at the workplace Stabilizing community and emphasizing locality Equitable and inclusive growth Environmental, social, and institutional sustainability The Collaborative is a national leader in the field of community development through our Community Wealth Building Initiative. The Initiative sustains a wide range of projects involving research, training, policy development, and community-focused work designed to promote an asset-based paradigm and increase support for the field across-the-board.

Sustainable Cities Collective is an editorially independent, moderated community for leaders of major metropolitan areas, urban planning and sustainability professionals. We look to aggregate content and provide resources for all who work in or are interested in urban planning, sustainable development and urban economics. Looking at issues such as transportation, building practices, community planning & development, education, water, health and infrastructure, we hope to create a community where people can get involved and learn about the advances in how cities are becoming smarter and greener in the 21st century.

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is an approach to sustainable community-driven development. Beyond the mobilisation of a particular community, it is concerned with how to link micro-assets to the macro-environment. Asset Based Community Development's premise is that communities can drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing, but often unrecognised assets. Thereby responding to challenges and creating local social improvement and economic development. This page will describe ABCD through five key aspects.

The mission of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities is to create strong, sustainable communities by connecting housing to jobs, fostering local innovation, and helping to build a clean energy economy.

Advancing a new understanding of democracy for the 21st century and promoting new strategies and innovations in community development that enhance democratic life. Promoting new strategies and innovations in community development that enhance democratic life. The Collaborative is a national leader in the field of community development through our Community Wealth Building Initiative. The Initiative sustains a wide range of projects involving research, training, policy development, and community-focused work designed to promote an asset-based paradigm and increase support for the field across-the-board.

As our most valuable resource, soil drives our services and tools. We advocate for sustainable agriculture that has a positive impact on the environment, society and the economy. To this end, we support the agri-food sector through sustainability assessments, agricultural consultancy and relevant software solutions.

Welcome to the EDA Know Your Region project. Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), this research project explores regional and local approaches to economic innovation and competitiveness across the United States. The resources developed as part of the overall project curriculum, as well as the Know Your Region online clearinghouse, are intended to help local officials, economic development practitioners, community leaders and citizens assess local and regional assets, needs and visions in a global context, leading to long-term regional prosperity and sustainability.

Appropedia is the site to develop and share collaborative solutions in sustainability, poverty reduction and international development through the use of sound principles and appropriate technology, original research and project information.

Strategy-Nets is a spin-out from the Purdue Center for Regional Development. The principals of Strategy-Nets understand the dynamics of developing and implementing complex strategies in open networks. The primary challenge of civic leadership today is to create and sustain adaptive regional economies. By definition, an adaptive economy has the built-in ability to renew itself by continuously developing new strategies to thrive.

Mayor Buckhorn is moving decisively with an economic development strategy that recognizes that its future as a vibrant, livable and sustainable community depends upon connecting its People, redefining its Places, and igniting Progress. Over the next months, AECOM and Parsons Brinckerhoff, planning and transportation experts, respectively, will work with the city and our community stakeholders and opinion leaders to develop a shared vision and give city leaders an implementable plan of action. This master plan, when complete, will form a living "workbook" of initiatives in core areas of land planning, transit, zoning, and economic development and financing strategies.

"APPA can be applied in a variety of contexts and with a wide range of participants. Its primary value lies in its emphasis as a process of lasting engagement and dialogue among stakeholders. APPA combines the framework of Appreciative Inquiry and the tools of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA). Its objective is to find and emphasise the positive, successes and strengths as a means to empower communities, groups and organisations to plan and manage development and conservation. [It] uses the cycle of the 4D�s: Discovery, the act of appreciation: the best of what is and what gives life to the community, group or organisation; Dream, envisioning and impact: what might be, creating a positive image of a preferred future; Design, co-constructing the desired future: what should the ideal be, a process of dialogue, consensus and further inquiry; Delivery, sustaining: how to empower, learn, adjust and sustain." (Source: PPM&E Resource Portal)

For over three decades, Balaton Group members have consistently advanced the boundaries of research and strategy for sustainable development. Collaboration among members has resulted in more than 30 books, over a hundred conferences, new learning centres and NGOs and uncounted computer models, training programmes, planning methods, journal articles, films, videos, policy initiatives, educational games, courses and research projects.

UN-HABITAT's programmes are designed to help policy-makers and local communities get to grips with the human settlements and urban issues and find workable, lasting solutions. The organization's mandate is outlined in the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and Resolution 56/206. UN-HABITAT's work is directly related to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly the goals of member States to improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020, Target 11, Millennium Development Goal No. 7, and Target 10 which calls for the reduction by half of the number without sustainable access to safe drinking water.