The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>Agenda</strong> <strong>21</strong> <strong>Planning</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />
the degradation of ecosystems by economic activities.<br />
FIGURE 1 THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are always three distinct development processes under-way at the local level—economic development, community<br />
development, and ecological development. Each of these processes has its own distinct imperatives.<br />
<strong>The</strong> development imperatives of the current economic system favor market expansion, externalization of costs, and sustained<br />
private profit. <strong>The</strong> current imperatives of community development are to meet basic human needs, increase economic and social<br />
equity, and create community self-reliance. <strong>The</strong> imperatives of ecological development are established in the natural order. Humans<br />
can support ecological development by limiting the consumption of natural resources to a rate that allows nature to regenerate<br />
resources and by reducing the production of wastes to levels that can be absorbed by natural processes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> imperatives of these development processes often contradict one another. Many examples can be found of such contradictions.<br />
For instance, the externalization of costs in order to maintain rates of private profit can contradict the ecological imperative to value<br />
and conserve natural resources. <strong>The</strong> global expansion of markets and the integration of national economies through structural<br />
adjustment programs and free-trade agreements can undermine the community development imperatives of local self-reliance and<br />
meeting basic human needs.<br />
Sustainable development is a process of bringing these three development processes into balance with each other. <strong>The</strong><br />
implementation of a sustainable development strategy therefore involves negotiation among the primary interest groups<br />
(stakeholders) involved in these three development processes. Once an Action Plan for balancing these development processes is<br />
established, these stakeholders must each take responsibility and leadership to implement the plan.<br />
1.0.1 HOW CAN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT BE APPLIED BY LOCAL<br />
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