Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2008 - (Page 24)

SLDI in Focus Sustainable Land Development International (SLDI) is a member-owned organization dedicated to promoting land development around the world that balances the needs of people, planet and profit – for today, and future generations. Seeking Your Feedback: Pilot Sustainable Land Development Best Practices Model In today’s economic and political environment, change continues to force itself upon the land development industry, and one thing is clear: If a new set of comprehensive best practices aren’t developed and formalized by the industry itself, they will be by government and/or other stakeholder groups. In fact, many groups and government organizations have already developed standards for certain components of projects, some of which offer good solutions for part of the challenges we face today. Those can and should be included as part of the overall solution. None of those systems however, offer a comprehensive perspective designed to maximize the social, environmental and financial/economic outcomes. The way land development has been conducted in the past is no longer enough for survival. It is time for a new model, and in order for that model to meet everyone’s needs, it needs to be developed from a level playing field, with all professional and stakeholder interests incorporated. As introduced in the May, 2007 SLDT article entitled, People, Planet and Profit (http://www.sldtonline.com/peopleplanetprofit), SLDI is now developing a set of sustainable development best practices designed to meet all stakeholder demands that can be used as a decision model for land development project teams, and is seeking feedback from industry professionals and stakeholders for the development of its initial draft outline. The comprehensive model is intended to provide a userfriendly and value-added set of practices that can enable project teams to: L Achieve greater balance among people, planet and profit; L Enhance project development processes; L Reduce project development and land holding costs; L Better address financial risk; L Enhance property values; L Differentiate your project and gain valuable marketing benefits; L Enable more effective response to project opposition; L Receive quicker regulatory review of projects; L Qualify for a growing array of federal, state & local government initiatives; L Be recognized for leadership and commitment to sustainability issues in your community, your organization (including stockholders), and your industry. The objective is to help land development professionals achieve greater ecological stewardship and social equity, but to do so through the simultaneous achievement of greater economic results. That is achievable, but high standards of performance are required. Fortunately, high-performance professionals and new technologies are bountiful throughout our important industry. The need for – and benefit of – formalized professional project best practices is now central to continued land development success. The type of model used, however, is equally as important as the mere act of using one. In order for a best practices system to achieve sustainable use and value, it must be based on the principles of sustainability. It must successfully balance – in fact maximize, the triple-bottom line perspectives of people, planet and profit. Ultimately, it is impossible to achieve any one without the other two. An effective model must facilitate more effective project processes – not hinder them. Achieving sustainable development according to the triple-bottom line perspective requires adhering to practices that encompass a holistic perspective – one which focuses on positively addressing the vital issues of ALL stakeholder interests throughout the development process, not just one or a few. Such a successful system must also model the project development process by placing the perspective of the team-building, risk-taking, and ultimate decision-making developer at the fore. It must embrace the profit motive by addressing project inputs such as management processes, market dynamics and cost controls. It also considers ecological needs such as natural systems, energy flows and biodiversity. Further, the model will help project teams analyze social considerations such as community access, spiritual connectedness, well-being, and governance. Additionally, it considers the interdependent nature of the relationships among economic, ecological and social forces, and among all stakeholders who possess special interests. The SLDI best practices system will be a tool designed to help fragmented stakeholder groups find commonality in their purpose. It serves to balance the needs of all interests to aid in the sustainability of our world. What practices and experiences can you share in each, any, and/or all of the areas of sustainable land development outlined above? You can contribute to the development of these best practices by going to www.SLDIKnowledgeProject.com and adding comments and information to the structure that is on the homepage. Or you can send your comments and suggestions to Tony Wernke at twernke@sldi.org. In next month’s issue, we will offer a first draft model of best practices based on initial industry feedback for further comment. Thanks in advance for your feedback, and for your professional contribution to the advancement of the entire industry. 24 October 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today http://www.sldtonline.com/peopleplanetprofit http://www.sldtonline.com/peopleplanetprofit http://www.SLDIKnowledgeProject.com http://www.SLDIKnowledgeProject.com

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Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2008

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