The future for our cities is dependent on the actions of today. In particular, achieving cities that are sustainable is an imperative in our rapidly urbanizing world. In 1950 30% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 2003 that proportion had risen to 48%, and it is very likely that the watershed of over half will be reached when this book is published. The predictions are that by 2030, 61% of the population will be urban (United Nations, 2004). Envisioning such a future is no easy matter. One of the conclusions reached by Williams et al. as to how a sustainable urban form can be achieved was the need for the development of ‘new ways of conceiving the future built environment’ (2000, p. 354).
The aim of this book is to present the reader with examples of the latest research into different urban forms and the ways in which they can be designed to be more sustainable. The pursuit of sustainability has been placed on the agenda of governments and non-governmental organizations after the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, and more recently by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) and the1992 Earth Summit in Rio. It has been stated by these, and other,bodies that cities must be economically viable, socially equitableand contribute to environmental protection of all species: adhering to the concept of the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2002). In many countries, policyhas been adopted with long-term urban sustainability as its focus,nd there are many examples of this translated into practice (Edwards, 1999; Beatley, 2000; European Commission, 2001; Sorensen et al., 2004)
This book presents some of the diverse aspects that are inextricably bound up with, and strongly influence, the scope of sustainable urban planning and design. A great deal has been written about the influences that can be said to affect the urban form, such as the technological, social, economic, institutional, geographical and physical (e.g. Norgaard, 1994; Jenks et al., 1996; Jenks and Burgess, 2000; Williams et al., 2000; Wheeler, 2003). These aspects are inter-related and interdependent as they all facilitate and influence sustainable urban planning and design in varying degrees. The chapters that follow add to the debate, examining ideas drawn from research and practice at different scales of the built environment from the urban region to the neighbourhood level in a number of different countries. The different scales at which sustainable ideas are discussed are reflected in the three major sections of the book.
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