Devens Sustainable Community Indicators Peter Lowi*, FAICP, Neil Angus AICP, and Vesela Veleva, Sustainability Consultant UMASS Boston 3rd Massachuse*s Sustainable CommuniDes & 2nd Massachuse*s Sustainable Campuses Conference April, 2013
Devens Sustainable Community Indicators
Peter Lowi*, FAICP, Neil Angus AICP, and Vesela Veleva, Sustainability Consultant UMASS Boston
3rd Massachuse*s Sustainable CommuniDes & 2nd Massachuse*s Sustainable Campuses Conference
April, 2013
Devens as Sustainable Industrial Park
• The UN’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment has clearly idenDfied a serious problem with deficiencies in 15 of 24 ecosystem services invesDgated. Human socieDes and economies rely on those services to prosper.
• Under DEC’s guidance Devens being structured as an ecological industrial park.
• Devens Eco-‐Efficiency Center provides assistance to businesses to green their operaDons and footprint.
2000 Sustainable Indicators Study
• Conducted by graduate student • IdenDfied need for viable reverse commute and need to incenDvize green building
• DEC adopted Green Building IncenDves • The original report produced over $250 million in investment for the region as DEC headed up Fitchburg Line Reverse Commute efforts.
Process • Presented dra\ to
Commission • Presented at Devens
Business Breakfast • Presented to community
at MassDevelopment board meeDng
• Determined need for addiDonal informaDon and began conducDng business visits
• Survey developed by consultant with DEC staff input.
• Will present findings at Sustainable CommuniDes Conference in April and at ISIE Conference in June.
Defining and Measuring Sustainable Devens: Framework and Seven Key Issues
Figure 1. Sustainable Devens: Framework and Seven Key Issues
Economic and Business Sustainability
Environmental quality
Social
Transportation Public Health
Natural resources Governance
Sustainable
Devens
Table Categories Key Issues: From Sustainable Devens Framework
Goal or Threshold: What is goal for the issue/threshold limit?
Indicators: Env., Social, Economic Indicator we are measuring
2000 Data: Data from 2000 study or for Dme frame applied to our study
Current Data: Most current data available in 2012 for indicator
Progress made? : Since 2000 Yes measurable progress
Min minimal progress/insufficient data
No no progress
Comments/Source of InformaDon: Source of data /comments
YES
MIN.
NO
Economic and Business Sustainability • Will modify unemployment rate for region
Governance • Entering the land of Quasi • Would you parDcipate in a survey to assess responsiveness of
governance at Devens?
Public Health • Difficulty of gathering data at Devens (Quasi part II) • All new proposed indicators
TransportaDon
Natural Resources cont…
Environmental Quality
Environmental Quality cont…
Survey
• The study revealed the need to reach out to our businesses to gather more input from them.
• We interviewed 29 of our 90 businesses in the first quarter of 2013.
• The sustainability survey doubled as a business visitaDon tool and produced excellent results and informaDon to assist with our sustainable redevelopment efforts.
Survey results
29 Surveys Conducted addressing collaboraDon
and Eco Industrial Development issues amongst others
More InformaDon
• As an Eco Industrial Park Devens needs to take the lead in restoring threatened eco system services.
• www.devensec.com • Its cool to be green!