Addressing sustainability challenges in micro-municipalities: Insights from the study of Quebec's smallest municipalities

Many empirical studies on large municipalities, ranging from thousands to millions of inhabitants, have helped shape the knowledge of sustainability management in developed countries. However, issues and approaches specific to micro-municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants have been relatively less covered. In this context, this study presents an empirical content analysis of sustainability-related instruments used in the 487 smallest municipalities of Quebec. A total of 1,962 instrumental documents were identified, and their characteristics (e.g., accountability-based vs. informative-based approach) and scope (e.g., land-use planning and pollution reduction) were assessed. The results are threefold. First, informative-based instruments (e.g., flyers and project presentations) are generally preferred to those with accountability mechanisms (e.g., policies and plans). Second, 90% of the municipalities address sustainability issues, but in pieces and parsimoniously rather than comprehensively; hence, initiatives vary significantly from one municipality to another. Third, because of their mandatory nature, initiatives such as sorted waste collection and pro-environmental zoning are common among municipalities. In contrast, non-mandatory services such as transportation planning have only a few adopters. These findings have policy implications for urban sustainability management in micro-municipal organizations.