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Sustainable Communities and the Great Transition Reviews recent initiatives and offers a vision of sustainable communities in a Great Transition world.

Contours of the Future:
Alternative Scenarios for the Boston Region Introduces alternative long-range futures for Boston, including fundamental shifts in lifestyle, technology, and values.

Technical Report on Quantitative Scenarios A companion report documenting data, assumptions, and simulations for the Boston region scenarios.

Sustainable Communities

The 1992 Earth Summit spawned local sustainability initiatives throughout the world, a new chapter in “thinking globally, acting locally.” They have catalyzed a healthy debate on community priorities, raised awareness, and generated some tangible improvements. Yet, these efforts generally have been limited in scope and vision, seldom adopting an integrated, systemic perspective that encompasses a full array of environmental, social, and economic factors or considering a rich range of development alternatives that transcends business-as-usual trends and behaviors. Moreover, they rarely place local sustainability in a wider global context, thus failing to underscore the responsibility of localities to a broader sustainability agenda.

Building on two decades of experience, this Tellus program works to bring a systemic and global framework to local sustainability efforts. Its primary activities are research and engagement, enriching approaches to integrated assessment and working with communities to envision alternative futures and formulate action plans.