While Communities of the future will be each a unique expression in and of themselves, they can be constructed and managed based on a common set of ecologically sustainable planning principles.

The principles can include:

• Project, Preserve and Restore the Natural Environment
• Utilize True Cost Pricing as the Basis for Economic Decision Making
• Support Local Agriculture and Local Business Products and Services
• Develop Clustered, Mixed-Use, Pedestrian-Oriented Ecological Communities
• Utilize Advanced Transportation, Communication and Production Systems
• Maximize Conservation and Develop Local Renewable Resources
• Establish Recycling Programs and Recycled Materials Industries
• Support Broad-Based Education for Participatory Governance

A Marin County, California Project, called St. Vincents, will be presented in a slide presentation and is based on these principles. The economic benefits of utilizing the principles will be explored revealing the economic power of sustainable development. The project involves the restoration of a 1,200 acre marsh, the building of a new clustered community of 2,000 residential units and the building of 7 miles of transitway.

While the St. Vincent's Project involves an underdeveloped site, another project which will also be presented involves an urban renewal site. The renewal project is located in the city of Anaheim, California on an old shopping mall site. The plan is to rebuild it into an urban village. The 72 acre village site includes 1,400 residential units, hotels, shopping, restaurant facilities. New forms of tourism will thus be introduced and a contribution to the extension of the tourism period for Crete will be made.