LarsonReport.com

 

Sustainability

 

 

 

 

An Action Plan for Cape Cod


Part 1.  Are We Better Off?

Part 2.  Sustaining Cape Cod

Part 3.  The Truro Survey

Part  4.  SWOT

Part 5.  Quality-of-Life Indicators
 
Part 6.  Opportunities for Truro

Part 7.  Confessions to Soothe My Soul and Clean My Dishes

Part 8.  An Academic Chair

Part 9.  A Personal Tool Kit

The Cape Cod Sustainability Scorecard

 

Perspectives on Sustainability

 

Sustainability Reference Desk

 

Articles on Sustainability

 

Articles on Sustainability Indicators

 

To download the Cape Cod Sustainability Indicators Report 2003, click here.

 

 

 

 


                                                        SustainCapeCod.org

 

An Action Plan to Achieve 
Sustainability on Cape Cod

 

Part  4.  SWOT

The Truro Survey: Truro Residents' Rankings
of Truro's Strengths, Weaknesses, 
Opportunities, and Threats  (SWOT)

An editorial by Glenn Ritt

Strengths

  1. Smallness

  2. Beaches

  3. People

  4. Drinking water

  5. Low taxes

  6. National Seashore

  7. Ambulance corps

  8. Health care

  9. Sense of community 

  10. Schools' proximity to Provincetown

  11. Library

  12. Civic participation 

  13. Access to culture

  14. Nature

 

Weaknesses

  1. Lack of affordable housing

  2. Lack of a comprehensive plan

  3. No business area

  4. Lack of a supermarket

  5. Limited economic vision

  6. Antichange attitude

  7. Lack of access to local government

  8. Too many nonresident taxpayers

  9. Little zoning support for business

  10. Lack of a good coffee shop

  11. Lack of time to volunteer

  12. Two different town centers

  13. Nonresponsive media

  14. Two post offices

 

Opportunities

  1. More intertown cooperation

  2. A new Stop & Shop supermarket

  3. More interactivity among government bodies

  4. More sharing of resources and equipment among government and school

  5. Extending of the shuttle bus service to year-round

  6. Pamet Harbor

  7. Development of a clearinghouse of resources

  8. A bike trail to town center

  9. Development of the Highlands Center for cultural activities

  10. Volunteers

  11. Seniors and teens as babysitting resources for busy parents

  12. Improvement in communications between the town and news media

  13. Improved marketing of the town’s history

  14. Use of empty houses in the off season for affordable rentals

 

Threats

  1. Long distance from nearest hospital

  2. Lack of affordable housing

  3. Them-versus-Us feeling between residents and nonresidents

  4. Increased traffic on Route 6

  5. Too many factions in town

  6. Lack of business opportunities

  7. Lack of candidates for political office

  8. Too many boards for town’s small population

  9. Stop & Shop supermarket

  10. Family problems, including domestic abuse

  11. Poor air quality

  12. Lack of diversity

  13. Lack of time for civic participation

  14. Seasonal swings in population

  15. Impending retirements of municipal employees

Next:  Part 5. Quality-of-Life Indicators

Editor's note:  All of the articles included in "An Action Plan" were published and are copyrighted by the Community Newspapers'  Register, Cape Codder, and Upper Cape Codder.