Introduction
Greensburg is a city that has profoundly embraced the ideology of sustainable development (Billman, 2009). It has decided to reconstruct its infrastructure according to the aspects of green architecture. Since the entire world is seeking to build sustainable cities, the project has been taken with a lot of optimism. Expectedly, Greensburg sustainable project has strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that affect its implementation. This paper will conduct a SWOT analysis on the project in order to determine its appropriateness.
Strengths
Existing Infrastructure
The project aims at establishing infrastructures in accordance to the requirements of sustainability. Although these structures are not sustainable, the city has some existing facilities (Billman, 2009). This implies that the establishment of sustainable facilities involves the reconstruction of existing ones. As a matter of fact, authorities will only need to improve the original facilities. This will reduce the cost of establishing the envisioned green city since they already have the framework of construction.
Community Spirit
The ideology of sustainable development has been embraced by many people in the USA. Greensburg is not an exception from this rule. The people living in this city have taken the project of green construction with optimism and support (Billman, 2009). This support will enable the authorities to implement the project without resistance of the public.
Opportunities
Support from State
The national and county governments have prioritized the initiation of sustainable agenda. It is a key strategy of development in most parts of the country. Nonetheless, sustainability is a concept that is not easily understood. In this regard, the way towards achieving sustainability is difficult. The process of attaining sustainability in the is involving and challenging. As a result, the state is willing to help all the sectors, individuals, and companies that propagate the concept of sustainability (Billman, 2009). This implies that the government will help Greensburg create a sustainable city. The state will possibly assist the local authorities by providing human resources, funds, and other equipments which will be useful to them. This additional support will reduce the cost, speed up the project, and ensure quality construction.
Weaknesses
Greensburg is among the cities that have been faced by adverse economic challenges. The economy of this city is declining on daily basis owing to the undesirable human activities and natural events (White, 2010). For example, the prevalence of tornadoes has been a great economic setback. In 2007, the tornadoes swept many houses in the city, having led to an economic depression (White, 2010). As a result, the city’s economic downfall may affect its capability to implement the project (White, 2010). Additionally, Greensburg is affected by massive emigration of people to the big cities (White, 2010). This is evident in the demographic records as shown in table 1.
Table 1: Population trends of Greensburg.
Threats
There are possible threats that might hinder the implementation of this project. In this regard, the most significant threat is associated with the possibility of subsequent tornadoes. These tornadoes could cause more severe losses than the previous ones owing to the destruction of expensive green buildings.
Conclusion
It is evident that the local authorities of Greensburg are planning to build sustainable infrastructure (White, 2010). The green project is strongly supported by the citizens since it leads to a sustainable life. In addition, the existing infrastructure will enable fast reconstruction of the city (White, 2010). However, subsequent tornadoes may impact on the implementation of this project.
Works Cited
Billman, Lynn. Rebuilding Greensburg, Kansas, as a model green community: a case study: NREL’s technical assistance to Greensburg. Golden, Co.: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009. Print.
White, Stacey Swearingen. “Out Of The Rubble And Towards A Sustainable Future: The Greening of Greensburg, Kansas.” Sustainability 2.7 (2010): 2302-2319. Print.