Sustainable Cities Categories and Criteria 2012

Categories

Community Action & Partnerships                                          

Recognises achievement in community and civic beautification, presentation, health, wellbeing and pride. Also recognises partnerships between government, business, industry & local community networks.

• Tidy, well-maintained approaches to cities, including signs and features.
• Tidy, well-maintained business, retail and industrial areas.
• Tidy, well-maintained public parks, gardens and sporting areas.
• Tidy, well-maintained homes and private gardens.
• Tidy, well-maintained streets, including footpaths, verges and median strips.
• Established Action Group or similar.
• Community involvement in the preparation and implementation of management plans/strategies for the city/region.
• Involvement of youth groups, schools and clubs in positive community engagement activities.
• Community celebrations associated with the city/region.
• Evidence of partnerships/approaches that encourage health and wellbeing within the community.
• Visible/measurable outcomes achieved as a result of community initiative and action.
• Where appropriate, provision of visitor and tourist facilities, including toilets, picnic areas, barbecues, shaded playgrounds, carparks and tourist information services.
• Adequate, well placed directional signage for parking, amenities, information services, tourist attractions.
• Multi-lingual signs, and/or universal symbols for non-readers and non-English readers.
• Appropriate access to and from public facilities and local attractions for the disabled and elderly.
• Local government encouragement of, and assistance with, community care, presentation and enhancement.
• Established community consultation policy and practice by local government.
• Community forums and/or workshops arranged by local government.
• Effective promotion of local government activities and services to the community.
• Strong two-way communication between local government and the community.
• Sound local government management and maintenance of local facilities, eg playgrounds, shower and toilet facilities, carparks, public open spaces, etc.
• Community/government partnerships on issues such as tourism plans, area/regional development plans, environmental or conservation management plans, public infrastructure development and/or local improvement and beautification.
• Successful outcomes from community/government partnerships.
• Programs to reduce environmental impact such as illegal dumping and graffiti removal

Litter Prevention                                      

Recognises community litter management, reduction and education initiatives.

• Adequate, well placed litter bins in commercial centres
• Adequate, well placed litter bins in public parks/areas
• Appropriate directional signage to litter bins, recycling facilities and/or services and refuse tip facilities
• Frequent and adequate collection from litter bins
• Litter education and awareness programs, literature and/or signage by local government, schools, community groups
• Dog prohibition, or the provision of dog-litter bags and disposal facilities, in public areas such as parks and/or beaches
• Cigarette butt disposal facilities in commercial centres and public parks/areas
• Regular clean-up activities, including roadside clean-ups, by the community and/or local government
• Litter-awareness signage, particularly at entries and exits to the community
• Adequate fencing or other devices to manage litter blow at waste transfer and refuse facilities
• Integration of litter and waste management activities into a broader waste management strategy
• Regular, competent community/regional litter audits to assist with preventative and education measures

Resource Recovery & Waste Management                         

Recognises achievement in resource recovery and waste management including initiatives which conserve resources, recover and reuse materials and the appropriate disposal of non-recyclable materials.

• Collection and appropriate disposal of non-recyclable materials.
• Adequate, well placed recycling bins in public parks/areas.
• Appropriate directional signage to recycling facilities and/or services at waste transfer and refuse facilities.
• Frequent and adequate collection of recycling bins.
• Resource recovery & recycling education and awareness programs, literature and/or signs by local government, schools, community groups.
• Recovery and re-use of resources such as green organics, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium, plastic, batteries, fluros and oil.
• Integration of resource recovery, recycling  and waste management activities into a broader waste management strategy.
• Regular, competent community/regional audits to assist with compliance and education measures.
• Education programs facilitating disposal according to the ‘avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle’ waste hierarchy.

Environmental Innovation & Protection                                

Recognises innovative principles and actions associated with developing sustainable communities. Also recognises protection of the natural environment focusing on the conservation of native flora and fauna.

• Partnerships between community/local government/industry which have been established to address local environmental sustainability issues.
• Programs which encourage community education and/or involvement in the planning, development and/or implementation of innovative strategies which focus on cleaner production and environmental protection.
• Innovative community/local government/industry water and/or wastewater activities/projects which focus on environmental protection.
• Local government support for innovative community/ industry projects, concepts, studies and/or research which focus on cleaner production, sustainable development, pollution prevention and/or environmental protection.
• Commitment to, or involvement in, community action initiatives such as Landcare, Coastcare, Bushcare, Dunecare, Waterwatch, Saltwatch and similar schemes.
• Established local conservation and/or environment group(s).
• Commitment to the establishment, where required, maintenance and protection of wildlife corridors in residential, industrial and agricultural areas.
• Development and implementation of public and/or protected open space plans within a community and its surrounds, including areas with significant conservation value.
• Development and implementation of vegetation management plans for natural areas in a community and its surrounds, including the maintenance and protection of coastal and/or riparian vegetation and the revegetation of riparian zones in residential, industrial & agricultural areas.
• Management plans/strategies, including community-government partnerships, which are designed to identify, rehabilitate and/or protect local fauna and flora.
• Feral animal management policies and plans.
• Weed eradication policies and programs.
• Where relevant, commitment to addressing hazards, such as salinity and soil erosion, which reduce land use capacity. 
• School and community awareness of local biodiversity issues.

Water Conservation                                                                     

Recognise sustainable water management within communities which has combined innovative water conservation and water re-use initiatives at the private, industrial and municipal levels, benefiting society and nature.

• Partnerships between community/local government/industry which have been established to address local environmental sustainability issues relating to water conservation, reuse and/or recycling.
• Programs which encourage community education and/or involvement in the planning, development and/or implementation of innovative strategies which focus on water conservation and reuse.
• Innovative community/local government/industry water and/or wastewater reuse projects and implementation of water sensitive urban design principles.
• Water minimisation practices and/or devices, eg automatic shut-off taps on public toilets and showers, evaporation protection measures, etc.
• Local government support for innovative community/industry projects, concepts, studies and/or research which focus on innovative water conservation and/or reuse initiatives.
• Education initiatives and community awareness and education programs to reduce water use.

Energy Innovation                                                                        

Recognises sustainable energy management which focuses on innovative energy efficiency measures and climate change issues.

• Partnerships between community/local government/industry which have been established to address renewable energy options.
• Programs which encourage community education and/or involvement in the planning, development and/or implementation of innovative strategies which focus on renewable energy use and climate change issues.
• Energy efficiency initiatives by community/local government/industry, including smart/green building design, use of energy efficient building products, renewable energy projects, eg solar power, wind generation, etc.
• Energy minimisation practices and/or devices at public facilities, eg long-life light globes, solar-heated/powered public facilities or services, automatic light shut-off switches, where safety is not compromised.
• Local government support for innovative community/ industry projects, concepts, studies and/or research which focus on innovative energy conservation initiatives.
• Education initiatives and community awareness and education programs to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Heritage & Culture                                                                       

Recognises communities which proudly preserve and value cultural history

• Successful outcomes from community strategies/initiatives designed to address preservation of cultural or natural history.
• Development and/or implementation of innovative, community-based strategic or business plans relating to historic or cultural preservation and/or restoration.
• Establishment of a local historical museum, or similar, to record and display culturally significant artefacts, stories and/or images, including indigenous and non-indigenous cultural heritage; maritime, agricultural and industry heritage; community, ethnic and regional heritage.
• Establishment of local historical society/group(s) dedicated to the research and preservation of local cultural heritage, including indigenous and non-indigenous cultural heritage; maritime, agricultural and industry heritage; community, ethnic and regional heritage.
• Protection, and display where appropriate, of culturally significant sites.
• Celebration, within and by the local community, of culturally significant events/traditions.
• Community and/or local government commitment to the preservation and/or restoration of culturally significant buildings and sites.

Young Legends                                                                            

Recognises positive environmental outcomes which encourage and promote youth initiative and environmental education and/or achievement.

• Youth education programs, including at schools, which focus on environment and conservation.
• Organised environment and conservation activities or projects for or by youth such as through the scouts, guides, fishing clubs, school, church, environment, conservation or community groups.
• School-based environment and conservation activities which encourage youth leadership and initiative.
• Community/local government/industry encouragement of, and involvement in youth activities, particularly welfare, health, environment and conservation activities.
• Successful outcomes from youth-initiated or youth-led environmental action.