Urbanists have little trouble rattling off the places that stand out as "green" for their sustainable credentials and smart development practices. Portland has its urban growth boundary; Amsterdam has its bicycles; and Copenhagen has its longstanding "Finger Plan" (above), for example.
While the global brands of these cities are continually reinforced by their repeat appearances on lists of the world's most desirable cities, a brief GreenBiz.com piece points out that these images are the result of decades of selective and detailed planning and policy moves:
Some cities seem to have cracked the code on successful green branding. Curitiba, for example, has achieved icon status as a center for green innovation. Speaking with Guilherme Fragomeni of Curitiba at this year's Sustainable Cities conference, I discovered the secret was bold marketing as much as visionary infrastructure.
During the 1970s, while Brazil was welcoming industry with open arms, Curitiba accepted only non-polluters and constructed an industrial district with expanses of green space. This earned it the derisive moniker of "golf course." The snickers stopped, however, when Curitiba's growth outstripped that of its more polluted neighbors.
The city also understood the importance of creating green initiatives that inspired with their looks as well as their eco-efficiency. Its transport corridors and bus metro systems provided both a smart solution to gridlock and a symbol of thinking outside the box.
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