A non-profit organization focusing on place-based sustainable development that builds capacity, engages citizens, and focuses on a community vision for the future
Activities
The Florida House Institute for Sustainable Development (FHI) encourages community projects with extensive and meaningful citizen collaboration. It focuses on projects that encourage careful development that is in accordance with a community vision and with sustainable futures. The organization facilitates processes, researches sustainable development, educates communities and practitioners, and offers consulting services.
Relevant Projects
The Sustainable Development Tool Kit has been created to help communities see sustainable development as an ongoing, fluid process of improvement. The kit is built around the concept of four systems layers (see below) and the importance of building community capacity. While mostly low-tech and process-driven, the toolkit is designed to work with GIS and other high-tech decision support tools. Tools fall into three categories that correspond with the important steps in FHI’s process:
1. Getting Started (creating a stakeholder group, inventorying the present state, creating the vision, developing indicators)
2. Building Capacity (creating learning and design centers, using place-based planning and GIS tools)
3. Long-term Implementation (design charettes, ongoing development of sustainable enterprise)
Relevant Methodologies
The Florida House Institute has developed a systems approach to sustainable community development that helps citizens and practitioners be strategic about where and when they choose to act. This method uses a taxonomy of four system layers (social, built, economic, and natural) to understand the challenges and opportunities facing our communities; the concept is similar to the theories behind multiple infrastructure planning (see Processes).
Region
National
More Information
330 S. Pineapple Ave. Suite 204
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-927-2020 (phone)