BIOS
Scott T. Edmondson, AICP
Principal / Founder
Strategic Sustainability Advisor/Planner-Economist
Through indepedent research and writing initiatives and advising assignments, Scott enjoys exploring and forging understanding that empowers people, organizations, and communities to harness the transformational power, potential, and promise of sustainability to generate durable, ecologically regenerative economic prosperity, security, and well-being. Scott has an MAAUP degree from UCLA with a concentration in urban, regional, and international development and a BA from UCB in development studies with a concentration in economics. He also completed one year in a MS program in public policy analysis (U. of Rochester), 1.5 years in UCLA's Planning Ph.D. program, and took two classes in SFSU's MBA program. He has expertise in economics, public policy research and analysis, strategic decision process and analysis; and 26+ years of practice in environmental review (EIP-12 yrs; independent 5 yrs), facilities planning (Kaiser, 3 yrs), and long range planning (City/County of SF 6+ yrs).
His long-standing interest in sustainability includes work with the OECD on sustainable urban economic development (1983-84), advising the SF Sustainability Plan(1996) and co-leading its economic development group, being a participant and Sustainability Indicators Work Group Member of the BAASC and its Compact for a Sustainable Bay Area Initiative (1998-1999), being SF Planning Department Liaison for the Regional Livability Footprint/Smart Growth Strategy(2002/3), drafting a new preliminary draft General Plan Land Use Element to amplify place making and sustainability, adding sustainability to a labor-management partnership (SF-UCP, 2005), and writing and presentations.
Over the past few years, he deepened his expertise in strategic sustainability through training in The Natural Step (BTH, TNS-USA, ICSP,), developing a strategy and action plan with TNS-USA to support APA’s sustainability planning with a strategic approach; and founding and co-directing a Sustainability Committeeand learning-practice network for the APA California Northern section. He earned a certificate in Sustainability and Climate Change from Sonoma State University in 2011.
Scott is also a member of the APA Sustainable Places Initiative’s Corresponding Committee. The Committee's mission is to broaden the Initiative over time. It reviewed and commented on the draft first report on the role of comprehensive planning in sustaining places (see PAS Report 567). He is also a member of the newly formed APA Sustainable Communities Division (also blog site), where he co-led an informal research projectand preparation of a facilitated discussion session for the APA Annual Conference in Chicago (2013) on Mobilizing Sustainability Planning that focused on the role of APA's State Chapters and the new Division in advancing sustainability planning.
Scott presently works in the Information & Analysis Group of the San Francisco Planning Department's Citywide long range planning division. Time permitting, he supports a variety of sustainability related initiatives, such as climate change and adaptation, biophilic city planning, and other formative leading-edge sustainability planning initiatives. Scott also pursues his professional strategic sustainability research and writing through the development of the (Strategic)Sustainability 2030 (Institute), a think-do tank and personal-professional initiative to Catalyzing success with strategic understanding and initiatives before time runs out.
Highlights:
(forthcoming
