The environment in which you grew up and the experiences in your life up to this point have shaped and molded your view of sustainability as it relates to cities and the built environment. Use this assignment to explore how you view and perceive neighborhoods, cities, and regions. As you ponder and answer the questions below, ask yourself what role your values play in perceiving sustainability, and what factors, if any, motivate you to develop or continue a green lifestyle?

Part 1: Briefly describe one of the places where you grew up.

Answering the questions below, write at least 250 words about the place where you grew up.

1. Where did you grow up and what was it like?
2. What elements in the human or natural environment were important to your daily life?
3. With whom did you interact on a daily basis?
4. Where did you go and how did you get around?
5. What, if anything, about your life was sustainable?

Part 2: Describe your vision of a sustainable city or neighborhood.

Write at least 250 words describing the sustainable neighborhood or city that you would like to see in the future. Imagine the ideal community – a sustainable place where you would like to live (in whatever way you want to define the term sustainable).

1. How is this place laid out in terms of streets, buildings, public spaces, parks, homes, workplaces, and shopping areas?
2. How do people get around?
3. What types of people live there and how do they interact?
4. How does the built environment relate to the natural landscape?
5. What makes this place sustainable, and do you think it is possible to achieve?

Part 3: Sustainability Theory (500 – 700 words)

1. How does your unique past affect your vision of the future and the way you choose to live your life today?
2. How do human values come into play when people think about sustainability?