Who speaks for the environment in your urban precinct?

Microgrids may deliver significant environmental benefits to urban precincts. In determining the best possible microgrid   infrastructure, there are two potential paths. One is to assess the environmental and economic benefit  of existing technological options.   Another approach is to create coalitions of precinct participants united by a shared vision of an ideal sustainable precinct, and then backcasting to find pathways to achieve this goal.  So what is the best approach and how can a microgrid create the environmental voice for an urban precinct?