A Case Study of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES): Will Municipalities Embrace SITES to Guide Future Development?
Abstract
The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is attempting to become the benchmark certification
for sustainable landscape development in the United States. Currently in pilot, the
SITES 2009 Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks are expected to be revised by November
2013, at which time SITES will begin open enrollment.
In 2009, Sarasota County, Florida converted a capped and closed landfill into a public
park, Rothenbach Park. This park is home to a long list of sustainable features and
is the winner of a 2010 American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) Excellence
in Environmental Engineering Award in Sustainability.
Through a case study of Rothenbach Park, this study attempts to determine if SITES
adequately measures landscape sustainability and if SITES will be attractive to municipal
policy makers as a guide for green development. The case study included a SITES score
of Rothenbach Park using the 2009 SITES Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks. Input
from six landscape sustainability experts, public records, and information provided
by four Sarasota County officials involved with the development of Rothenbach Park
were used to prepare the score.
While Rothenbach Park scored well (estimated at a two star rating), there were areas
for potential improvement, and recommendations are provided for improvement to park
and county sustainable landscape practices.
Feedback from Sarasota County officials about SITES was generally positive. The consensus
was that SITES is an excellent tool for assessing landscape sustainability and would
be useful as a tool for guiding development. However, in a time of limited local government
resources, it is going to be important for SITES to become an educational support
resource for municipalities to embrace its guidelines. Recommendations are provided
to further that goal.
Finally, communities like Sarasota County can benefit from SITES as a complement to
existing sustainable development commitments. Potential policy tools to allow assimilation
of SITES and its guiding principles into county land development are discussed.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6848Citation
Howley, Jesse (2013). A Case Study of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES): Will Municipalities Embrace
SITES to Guide Future Development?. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6848.Collections
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