Understanding Sustainability from a Regional Perspective: How regional governance organizations define and contextualize sustainability

Abstract

Embracing a regional strategy to foster sustainability offers several strategic benefits. In the US, regional governance organizations (RGOs), including councils of governments and regional planning councils, assume crucial roles in regional governance. RGOs can wield significant influence in advancing sustainability within and beyond their respective regions. As sustainability is arguably a contested concept, it is important to learn how sustainability is viewed from a regional perspective. This inquiry poses a fundamental question: how do regional governance organizations define and contextualize sustainability? To answer this question, this study explores RGOs serving 39 of the largest US metropolitan areas. This research examines several conceptualizations of regional sustainability from various RGOs. Employing qualitative content analysis on information extracted from websites, reports, and other publicly accessible materials online, this study concludes that regional organizations conceive sustainability through four key dimensions: economy, environment, community, and time.