A tale of three cities

by Karol Crosbie

Civic capacity and regional sustainability
by Steven Schott, Mount Vernon, Ohio

Advised by Eric Moskowitz, political science

Plants growing on roofs (eco-roofs) are a common sight in Portland and serve multiple purposes. They help collect and retain storm water, clean the air, and cool the building. The Amy Joslin Memorial Eco-roof tops the building that houses Multnomah County offices.

Even from a superficial visit, you can tell the difference between a city that is paying attention to its future and one that is not, says Steve Schott. For example, go to Portland, Ore., and you see buildings with eco roofs and solar panels. Large green spaces define the city; mass transit reduces traffic; things look and smell good. On the other hand, in Columbus, Ohio you see sprawling shopping malls in disrepair, deep pockets of poverty, and congested, dirty streets.

Schott wanted to know why some regions rely on sustainability policies and others don’t. So for his I.S. he researched three very different cities: Portland, Ore., the first region in the United States to create an Office of Sustainable Development; Columbus, Ohio, which was ranked last by SustainLane, an online media company that evaluates the policies of the country’s 50 largest cities; and Phoenix, Ariz., described as being on the crossroads of decisions that could secure its future.

Using a grant from the Copeland Fund, Schott visited each city and conducted interviews with city leaders, officials, and politicians. A successful sustainable policy would be influenced by key factors, he hypothesized.Were its residents facing a crisis? Was a forward thinking leader in place? Was there evidence of citizen involvement in the process? And—perhaps most important—did decision makers have the power to act for a larger metropolitan area, or just within the city limits?

“Portland’s regional government allows officials to make decisions for a broader community. That helps them address problems such as transportation and air quality— situations and problems that usually can’t be addressed by local jurisdictions,” Schott says. “But what prompts people to want a regional entity? That’s the key question. It’s difficult to ask citizens to give up local power.”

Schott says that one of the most interesting questions he asked was: What does sustainability mean to you? “I interviewed people at Portland’s Office of Sustainability—people who work with the concept every day—and each had a different answer. In Columbus, they couldn’t—or wouldn’t—even talk to me about it.

“Sustainability seems to be a word that politicians like to throw around and a lot of people like to talk about, but no one knows what it means. That needs to be a focus.We need to figure out what it means.”

Schott has been accepted at University of Florida Law School, where he will study environmental law. But first he will teach special education students in North Carolina as part of the Teach for America program for the next two years.