A Selective Guide to Researching
Sustainable Growth and Development Issues

Compiled by:
Germaine Leahy,
Head of Reference/Environmental Librarian

I.  INTRODUCTION

“Growth is inevitable, given the projected increases in the nation’s population
and the importance of economic development to America’s communities. 
And with growth will come challenges–traffic congestion, an increasing
demand for services, and the consumption of land and natural resources
to support development.  The question for communities across the nation
is not whether, but how, they will face growth and its challenges.”

        --U.S. General Accounting Office.  Community Development Local Growth Issues-Federal Opportunities and Challenges, GAO/RCED-00-178.  September 2000, at 28.

"[S]ustainable development law is both an emerging body of legal principles and instruments, as well as an 'interstitial norm,' a concept that serves to reconcile conflicting environmental, social and economic development norms in international law, in the interest of present and future generations."
    --Cordonier Segger, Marie-Claire.  Sustainable Development Law: Principles, Practices and Prospects,  New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, at 365.

The complex and diverse issues surrounding sustainable growth and development present formidable challenges for the researcher.  Brownfields redevelopment, urban, rural and suburban growth, land use, transportation, air quality, neighborhood revitalization, livable communities, healthy cities, sustainable development, preservation of open space, such as parks and farmland, are some of the major issues pertaining to sustainable growth and development.   Discussions of these issues have brought together lawyers, planners, developers, concerned citizens and state, local, federal and foreign government officials. 

To intelligently examine the domestic and international legal and policy aspects of sustainable growth and development, it is necessary to look beyond traditional legal resources.   Effective research also requires the use of a  specialized vocabulary, including terms such as  "sprawl," "smart growth," "sustainable growth," "sustainable development," "brownfields," "environmental justice," "quality of life," "livable communities," "growth management,"  "urban management," "regional growth," "sustainable cities," “healthy cities,”  "sustainable communities,"  "urban/rural planning," "consensus building," "geographic information system (GIS)," and "land use planning."  

This guide briefly describes the kind of information found in selected databases and web sites that are relevant to a variety of sustainable growth and development issues.