Available Now!

Got 3 minutes? 

In this short video we introduce the new 5th Edition of Toward Sustainable Communities: Solutions for Citizens and Their Governments.

Toward Sustainable Communities is the definitive guide to the what, the why, and most importantly, the how of creating vibrant, healthy, equitable, and prosperous places.

Essential reading for current and aspiring professionals, practitioners, policymakers, educators, purpose-driven organizations, engaged citizens, and anyone concerned about their communities and a sustainable future.

Toward Sustainable Communities is your go-to source for those seeking a comprehensive approach to sustainable community development, from the neighborhood to the regional level.

This fully revised 5th edition introduces the innovative Community Capital Compass as a powerful tool for maximizing the social, economic, and environmental benefits of complex community and regional decisions.

Those seeking a comprehensive approach to sustainable community planning and development will benefit from:

• An expanded Community Capital framework that organizes community resources into eight interrelated forms of capital – natural, built, organizational, political, financial, cultural, human, and relational 

• The Community Capital Compass for navigating complex situations involving everything from municipal services and land use planning to housing and climate change, to help determine strategic directions by illustrating dynamic interactions, synergies, and tradeoffs 

• Elaboration of collaborative governance, community mobilization, public engagement, capacity building, infrastructure, policymaking, and best practices 

• Companion website featuring case studies, profiles, online resources, interactive tools, and more.

Packed with concrete, proven solutions, this "living book" is the go-to guide for sustainable community development and required reading for current and aspiring professionals or practitioners, policymakers, educators, purpose-driven organizations, engaged citizens, and anyone concerned about their communities and a sustainable future.

Each of the authors is an experienced, award-winning trainer and instructor. This edition, plus the many resources here on Pando, are designed to make training, teaching, and learning effective and easy in a wide variety of settings. Our approach works beautifully in professional training, academic credit programs, noncredit professional development programs, and in self-directed efforts. See more details here and contact us for help with your unique situation.

Praise for Toward Sustainable Communities, Fifth Edition

A comprehensive collection of concepts with clear illustrations and community-based examples… an essential text for all practitioners and students of sustainability planning.

— KARLA A. EBENBACH, Chair, American Planning Association Sustainable Communities Division; AICP, LEED Green Associate; President, Ebenbach Consulting LLC

An elegant and actionable playbook for city builders to rethink our time-tested and often misguided approaches to urban planning, design and development... exhaustive and approachable – providing new thinking, powerful solutions, and an elegant framework…

— ROB BENNETT, founder, EcoDistricts | Senior Advisor, Partnership for Southern Equity

Groundbreaking… A must-read for academics, practitioners, and everyone concerned about the economic, environmental, and social future of our planet.

— DAVID MILLER, Managing Director, C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy

Essential reading for those new to the space, and should be on the shelf of every practitioner as their go-to reference.

— HILARI VARNADORE, Vice President for Cities, U.S. Green Building Council

The fifth edition of TSC stands out as truly transformational... Packed with more ideas and information, it appears at a time of tremendous upheaval, when the need for it is greatest... The book is almost everything I could ask for. A good buy.

– EMILIE K. ADIN, RPP, MCIP, LEED AP, MLAI, President, Planning Institute of British Columbia