Module 7 Discussion

Abstract

Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Sustainable Communities: [City, State] An example of a community that encourages sustainable living is [City, State] through measures to increase the use of renewable energy. Portland is a pioneer in green city initiatives that include incentives to use green energy and laws mandating changes to lower emissions. The city has developed policies seeking to reduce emissions and set goals towards adopting zero-emission energy sources. Promoting changes in transportation is one of the methods through which the city seeks to achieve its zero-emission energy goals (Green City Times, 2025). Development policies include increasing access to public transit systems, urban planning initiatives to increase cycling to work, and expanding green zones in the city. Portland seeks to implement zero-emission busses by 2040 to replace transportation that relies on the use of fossil fuels. Figure 1 [City, State] Note: From Green City Times, 2025 https://www.greencitytimes.com/portland/. Infrastructure planning is one of the target changes that Portland seeks to use to lower emissions in its green city goals. The city has implemented legislation that seeks to cap emissions from buildings including its 2009 Climate Action Plan (CAP) that mandates buildings to use renewable energy sources. The path to net zero emissions requires the participation of public and private developers to invest in sustainable energy to meet the needs of its residents. An update to the 2009 Portland CAP in 2015 has set the goal of reducing emissions by 40% in 2030 and achieve the goal of 80% reduction by 2040. In 2017, Portland seeks to implement 100% use of renewable energy sources by 2050 in its green city initiative (Green City Times, 2025). With over 92,000 acres of green spaces, the city has developed an elaborate plan to improve the wellbeing...