SustainLane 2006 US City Sustainability Ranking

Jacksonville: Thinking Ahead

Road, river, and rail meet the Atlantic at Jacksonville, Florida, which is host to a deepwater port and myriad transportation services. Jacksonville harbors freighters destined for Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. It's also a national gateway for automobile shipping. Without much fanfare, Jacksonville is preparing for its financial future by gathering skilled professionals and Fortune 500 companies under its sign, including major insurance and banking concerns.

The city's business acumen hasn't come at the expense of its misty Southern charm. The ancient St. Johns River slides through the city's bulk, and a peculiar mossy drip infests the giant oaks. Framing these gothic scenes is a bustling modern infrastructure.

Each year, the Jacksonville Community Council (JCCI) addresses specific problems confronting the city through study groups. Any citizen can volunteer to participate in the groups, whose findings are published by the council and publicized by advocacy programs. Since the early 1990s, The JCCI has been producing an annual Quality of Life Progress Report to assay the overall health of the city in terms of economics, education, environment, social equality, mobility, and the arts.

The JCCI programs serve as a national model of citizen-powered, forward-thinking examination of local problems. (The explicit inclusion of energy conservation and other indicators of sustainability would make the efforts even more promising.) While Jacksonville may currently lag behind in our study, it already has a brain trust in place. If it can channel the indicators of the JCCI into city programs, policies, and practices, Jacksonville might quickly climb the ranks of the nation's cities.