At urban planning conferences, the current buzz phrase is "green urbanism" a term coined to describe the European sustainable cities movement that started more than a decade ago. Its aim is to reduce the ecological footprint of a city by creating an environment that encourages people to cut consumption of non-renewable resources. At its core, it's about environmental ethics guiding better public transport systems, using bio-climate design principles when constructing (or retro-fitting) office buildings and bringing nature back into the city.

Utilizing unique construction practices, the city of Chicago has pioneered "green" urbanism. The city is committed to building its facilities in an environmentally sound manner, and is considered a leader in promoting green roofs as a sustainable alternative to the traditional roofing system.

On the ground, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has implemented its Green Alley Program, along with a number of PCC and HMA green initiatives. Most recently, CDOT has focused its attention on the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) to resurface its city streets.

"Green urbanism" effectively captures both the central urban and environmental dimensions of the agenda I will be discussing. …

Green urbanism accepts that public (and private) decisions about how cities grow, the kinds of transportation systems they employ, and the ways they generate and supply energy and food for their populations have tremendous environmental impacts.