Eco-municipalities
An eco-municipality or eco-town is a local government area that has adopted ecological and social justice values in its charter. The development of eco-municipalities stems from changing systems in Sweden, where more than seventy municipal governments have accepted varying principles of sustainability in their operations as well as community-wide decision-making processes.[1] The purpose of these policies is to increase the overall sustainability of the community.
- "Eco-municipality" has a specific meaning. For a more general discussion of the sustainability of cities, see Sustainable city.
Large scale social movements can influence both community choices and the built environment. Eco-municipalities may be one such movement.[2] Eco-municipalities take a systems approach, based on sustainability principles. The eco-municipality movement is participatory, involving community members in a bottom-up approach.
The distinction between an eco-municipality and other sustainable development projects (such as green building and alternative energy) is the focus on community involvement and social transformation in a public agency, as well as the use of a holistic systems approach. An eco-municipality is one that recognizes that issues of sustainability are key to all decisions made by government. [3]