We are a nation of pioneers and movers. The American west has been settled for less than 150 years. Innovation, exploration of the unknown, and change have marked our culture from the very beginning. So, a city born of innovation will have appeal to many people.

High quality family wage jobs with good benefits and civic-minded employers will be a big draw. Most standard households won’t move to a new place unless one of them has a job, and the other has prospects. Green city companies may want to consider an “and spouse/ partner” hiring approach. That’s to say, person 1 of the couple gets a job and person 2 is invited to informational interviews, introduced to hiring managers both there and at other green city firms, offered temporary or part-time work for the household’s transition into town. In short, becoming a two-income household (again) is made relatively painless.

Once the employment-and-paycheck issue has been tackled, the biggest draw for most residents will be that living in a green city means: I can live very lightly on the planet without really having to think about it much. I’ll know that I and my household and my new friends are all helping to mitigate climate change by walking our talk every day.

And actually walking —being a pedestrian in my new home, will be easy because of the compact layout and the many pedestrian trails (with fast and slow lanes!) My kids, when I have some, will be able to get to after-school sports and other programs under their own steam on the trails, using bikes, skateboards and shoe-leather. And for longer trips the driverless electric buses take us all where we need to go, some on fixed routes and some on-demand with door-to-door service.

I may need to own a car, and if so it will be electric, but instead of fretting about where to get it charged, I’ll know that my new city has charging stations as part of every parking stall and meter, and I’ll know that clean energy powers them, because the place is making its own electricity, all from renewables.

I’ll appreciate that compost, garbage and recyclables are all going back into the system to be re-purposed into city park fertilizer, waste-to-energy electricity, and new products, due to the city’s commitment to 100% waste management. Even my human sewage is going to become bio-solids or composting toilet waste that will be used as fertilizer in the city’s neighborhood hydroponics and its surrounding ring of fields.

I will enjoy the support, encouragement and space for gardening to produce both beauty and my own veggies. Whether all I can afford is a balcony with hanging planter boxes; whether I have a rooftop planter, a community P-patch space, or simply a kitchen that’s well set up for sprouting my own salad greens, I’ll enjoy both the process of growing things, and the freshness of my food. And I’ll appreciate that commercially-grown food is being produced right here in the city, in hydroponics towers and in country fields. That food is much fresher too. Almost zero food-miles. Our farmers’ markets will sell not only local food but also local craft products, and be a great place for an outing.

We will enjoy living in a learning culture, where the community technical institute puts on classes for adults and our school-kids including what’s happening around the world in green building, what innovations they’re going to suggest the city council tries. “The tech” will help to create a multi-cultural community, because people of all backgrounds will be coming here to do research, teach or visit. I like the strong connections among our tech institute and our school system, our senior center, and our employers.

It costs a bit more to live in a green city, and optionally if I can afford it, I can become an investor helping to buy down the initial costs of building this place. But if I can’t, that’s OK. And although the cost of a home is on the high side for me, there’s plenty of affordable housing being built throughout the place for those with lower incomes, for retirees and young people just starting out. And all of us have much lower utility bills because our homes are super-insulated and don’t take much to heat and cool; our appliances are all high efficiency, and in any case, all our power supply is renewable energy. And we save money too by purchasing things at the community consignment/thrift stores – for example, how many years do we need a high chair? When junior just needs a booster seat, the high chair is consigned and goes to a household with a smaller kid.

Last but not least is the participatory nature of the green city governance. Residents can serve on the council, or on a committee or commission. Anybody can speak up at a city council meeting and be sure their concern will be noted and addressed. A paid “volunteer coordinator” helps keeps clubs and associations on point, and helps create new ones as needed. And we know what’s going on, through the citywide newsletter and listserv.