Urban Sustainability: Perspectives on Change

Abstract

Sustainability resides at the nexus of philosophy, practice, politics, and technology. As such, the policies, behaviors, and discussions associated with ``sustainability'' are often contested. Despite the potential for conflict, nearly all stakeholders at all scales recognize that sustainability and sustainable practices necessarily extend from and/or interact across three domains: Social Systems, Ecological Systems, and Economic Systems. The systems, most often referred to as the three pillars (Environment, Economic, and Social), are sometimes complementary; but often are juxtaposed in a functionally perpendicular fashion. As a result, theory and practice are often side-ways and often result in partial or imperfect results.