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Basic Information
The Sustainable Skylines Initiative (SSI) is a locally-led, EPA-supported, public-private partnership to reduce air emissions and promote sustainability in urban environments. This effort will provide a framework, that when implemented in an area, can achieve measurable reductions within 3 years. Through SSI, an area (either a city or multiple cities) creates a partnership that selects and implements projects based on their own local needs. By providing assistance, EPA helps SSI participants to achieve better overall sustainability in their local areas.
Program Goals
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The program goals are simple:
- Integrate transportation, energy, land use and air quality planning
- Implement projects that yield measurable air quality benefits within 3 years
- Create an innovative program that can be replicable to other areas
- Provide flexibility to meet the needs and priorities of individual areas
Program Objectives
- Establish place-based and locally-driven projects
- Collaboration between multiple stakeholders
- Identify and leverage resources among public and private partners
- Utilize consensus-based project selection approach
Pilot Cities
The SSI began with two pilot cities - Dallas, Texas and Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri. The initiative is now being expanded nationally with a goal of 10 areas in the program by the end of 2010.
Seven Activity Categories
The SSI paradigm asks participating areas to select at least one project from at least five out of seven project categories, including:
- Central City Livability
- Central City Livability is an "umbrella" term that covers a variety of different techniques to encourage, support, and enhance the activities of daily living that makes it relatively easy and enjoyable to live. These actions will help make the city more attractive and functional place to live, work, and play. In addition, the city will look pleasant, that it is clean and that the built environment is in harmony (as much as possible) with the natural environment and that employment and other economic opportunities are available in the city.
- Examples: City planning; traffic calming; park development and trails; bike paths/lanes; development of green collar job centers; reduction in urban heat surfaces; and storm water runoff
- Stationary and Area Sources
- Stationary Source:
- A place or object, which cannot move around, from which pollutants are released and which give out or may give off any air pollutant.
- Examples: Power plants; gas stations; incinerators; dry cleaners; and houses
- Area Source:
- Any source of air pollution that is released over a small area.
- Examples: Vehicles and other small engines; small businesses; households; consumer products; farm fields; and burning yard waste
- Energy and Climate Change
- Energy efficiency:
- Technologies and actions that reduce the amount of electricity and/or fuel required to do the same work that uses less electricity and or/fuel and decreases pollution.
- Examples: Use of sensor lights, facets, and toilets; washing machines and dryers; high efficiency central air conditioners and central air-to-air heat pumps; insulation; ceiling fans; dehumidifiers; solar power; replace all traffic signals with LEDs; purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances for city use
- Climate Change:
- A regional change in temperature and weather patterns.
- Examples: Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting to increase shading and absorb CO2; develop targets/strategies and implement plans to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) community-wide; and place GHG cap and reduction plan at municipally-owned utilities
- Land Use Transportation Strategies
- Steps taken by a locality to reduce vehicular emission and improve air quality by reducing or changing the flow of traffic.
- Examples: Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails; commute trip reduction incentive programs; ridesharing; incentives for car pooling and public transit; bicycle lanes; convert parking lots to parks; and coordinate all community traffic signals
- Diesel Engines Emission Reduction:
- Emissions reduction and engine performance can be obtained by using known measures in conjunction with the invention.
- Examples: Exhaust gas recirculation; equipment idle reduction and control; engine preventive maintenance; equipment operator training; and retrofits
- Green Building and Green Building Development
- Designing a building that can provide great environmental, economic, and social benefits that is inexpensive and reduces impact on human health and the environment that is healthier and more cost-effective reproduction of design, construction, operation, repair, and removal. It addresses a broad range of issues that fall under the guise of smart land use, energy-efficiency, resource-efficiency, and healthy buildings.
- Examples:
- Buildings which save water and reduce water pollution
- Reduce materials use and choose materials that do minimal harm to people and the environment during manufacture, use and disposal
- Rescue centrally located land and old or historic buildings from abandonment through adaptive reuse
- Improve indoor air quality
- Reduce suburban sprawl and the need to build additional roads and other infrastructure
- Off-road/ Non-road Sources (emission reductions)
- Any equipment that does not travel on roads or highways.
- Examples: Small off-road equipment replacement & retrofits; aircraft and its support equipment; locomotives; commercial marine and pleasure crafts; and equipment used for construction, logging, mining, agriculture, and lawn/garden care