Small Town Sustainability (Dr. Paul L. Knox and Dr. Heike Mayer)

Small and medium-sized towns and cities are often overlooked in urban planning practice and research. These smaller towns, however, comprise a significant segment of our urban system and face difficult challenges. We examine several movements and policy approaches to small town sustainability. In particular, we are interested in how small towns can retain their cultural and economic identity and character while adjusting to the changes resulting from globalization. One example how towns successfully adjust is the Slow City movement. We are currently writing a book which will be published with Birkhäuser Verlag. For more information, please contact Dr. Heike Mayer (heikem@vt.edu; 703-706-8122).

Publications:

• Mayer, H. and Paul Knox 2007. Slow City oder Città Lente: Ein Zukunftsmodell der Stadtentwicklung? Die Alte Stadt, 3, 205-220.

• Mayer, H., & Knox, P. Pace of Life and Quality of Life: The Slow City Charter. In J. Sirgy, R., Phillips & D. Rahtz (Eds.), Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Practices III (pp. 20-39). Blacksburg, VA: International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS).
• Mayer, H. and Paul Knox. 2006. Slow Cities: Sustainable Places in a Fast World. Journal of Urban Affairs, 28(4), pp. 321-334.
• Mayer, H. and Paul Knox (October 23, 2006). Can the U.S. learn from the Slow City movement? Weekly lead opinion editorial for the urban planning website Planetizen: http://www.planetizen.com/node/21630