Today’s economies are in transition, not only due to the current economic and political climate, but to our physical climate. Pollution, carbon emissions and climate change are realities threatening communities around the world. Local economies unable to adapt to these phenomenon are at risk of becoming obsolete. In 2009, acutely aware of the intimate ties between a region’s economy and other quality of life issues such as social equity and mobility, Partners for Livable Communities embarked on a major new agenda: The Economics of Sustainability, a program incorporating ‘sustainability’ into an ever-evolving definition of livability. This initiative explores how community leaders, faced with the challenge of ensuring the future strength of their economies and local quality of life, can employ creative new agendas that not only help reverse the effects of environmental degradation but leverage the occasion for valuable economic and social gain.

This new program is largely based on Partners’ 1985 publication the Economics of Amenity, which asserted that quality of life amenities played a critical role in the economic future of our communities. Today, this is not only an accepted idea, but has become the bedrock of many successful community revitalization projects and a critical part of what most people understand as economic development.

Partners believes the same opportunity can now be found in the application of green business strategies.  Through programming and innovative partnerships, Partners has taken bold steps to showcase environmental sustainability as a powerful tool in strengthening economies and improving local quality of life.