Contents -- Foreword -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- The Century of the City -- Cities and the Global Environmental Crisis -- Changing Climate and the Poor -- The Role of Municipal Governments in Urban Greening -- Emerging Collaborations in North America -- Urban Greening and Sustainability -- The Goals of This Book and Its Audience -- Top Ten Lessons Learned from Green City Leaders -- 1. Greening from the Inside -- Don't Ask Others to Do Something Until You've Done It Yourself: Lead by Example -- Get the Community Involved -- Keep Sustainability Leaders Out of Silos -- Make Green Living Easy and Appealing -- Consult with the Community -- Enable the Business and Nonprofit Community -- Measure and Report on This Work -- Achieve the Triple Bottom Line -- 2. Leading from the Inside Out -- Loads of Leverage and the Will to Use It -- Greening City Buildings, Blocks, and Districts -- Greening Streets, Alleys, and Infrastructure -- Greening City Fleets -- Greening City Purchasing -- Greening City Power -- Reducing City Waste -- Construction and Maintenance Materials -- Landscaping Materials -- Office Paper -- Conclusion -- Focus, Focus, Focus -- Build Shared Ownership and Responsibility -- Make Bets-but Hedge Them -- Use the City Budget Process to Advance the Green City Agenda -- CASE IN POINT: Assessing Climate Risk and Resilience in Flagstaff -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Key Factors for Success -- CASE IN POINT: Greening City Fleets in Raleigh -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- 3. Leading in the Community -- Strategically Deploying City Assets and Investments -- Leading through Policy -- Leading through Partnerships -- Partnering across City Departments -- Partnering with Neighborhood Groups and Nonprofit Organizations -- Partnering with Business.

Collaborating at the Regional Scale -- Cross-City Collaboration -- Leading through Persuasion -- The Best Recipe: A Portfolio Approach -- Toward Green -- Equitable Solutions -- A Rise in Regionalism -- Conclusion -- CASE IN POINT: Returning to Green City Roots and Loving El Paso -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- CASE IN POINT: Sewer Overflows and Sustainable Infrastructure in Philadelphia -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- 4. The Green City Leader -- Emergence of the Green City Leader -- Purview of the Green City Leader -- Location of the Green City Leader -- Organizing Support for a Green City -- Building Political Support -- Building Internal Support -- Nurturing Green Champions -- Building a Green Team -- Fostering a Government-wide Green Culture -- Building Partnerships with Community Institutions -- Fostering Community-wide Change Makers -- Embedding Sustainability in Government Practice -- First Stage: Setting Vision and Direction -- Second Stage: Engaging and Empowering Stakeholders -- Third Stage: Capturing Results in Performance Management Systems -- Fourth Stage: Embedding Sustainability in Continuous Improvement -- Building a Sustainability Field of Practice -- Conclusion -- CASE IN POINT: Funding Sustainability through Savings in Asheville -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- CASE IN POINT: Permeable Pavement and the Green Alley Program in Chicago -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Key Factors for Success -- 5. Getting Down to Business -- The Role of the Green City Leader in Public Finance and Budgeting -- Funding Sustainability Staff -- Tapping Municipal Resource Savings -- Using Corporate Finance to Advance Sustainability -- Innovative Financing Strategies -- Energy Efficiency Loan Funds.

Property-Assessed Clean Energy Financing (PACE) and On-Bill Financing -- CREBs and PPAs for Renewable Energy Purchases -- TIFIA for Accelerated Investment in New Transit Infrastructure -- Value Capture to Fund Projects That Enhance Property Values -- Using Storm-Water Fees to Advance Green Infrastructure -- Business and Economic Development -- Economic Development Roles for Green City Leaders -- Key Partners in Advancing Sustainable Economic Development -- Conclusion -- CASE IN POINT: Growing Green Businesses and Jobs in San Antonio -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- CASE IN POINT: Financing Affordable Housing along Transit Lines in Denver -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- 6. Driving Green Progress Using Indicators -- Adopt Green Goals First -- Prioritize Indicators That Drive Action -- Choose Meaningful Indicators That Champions Can Own -- Create Tiers of Indicators -- Set Shortand Long-Term Performance Targets -- Plan for How Missing Targets Can Drive Change -- Making the Best of Poor Access to Data -- Embedding Progress Indicators in Everyday Municipal Practice -- Using Indicators for Collective Learning -- Using Performance Indicators for Broad Engagement in Action -- Managing When Others Rate You -- Conclusion -- CASE IN POINT: Sustainability Performance Management in Minneapolis -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- CASE IN POINT: Ensuring Sustainability Remains a Priority in New York City -- The Inside Story -- Results to Date -- Challenges -- Key Factors for Success -- Conclusion -- Promising Trends -- Persistent Challenges -- An Obligation and Opportunity for North American Cities -- Notes -- About the Authors -- Index.