The edge of the [dis]order

Abstract

This paper discusses the issues of sustainability in the context of the relationship between the city and suburban areas. As a critical contribution, it focuses on a brief diagnosis of the current quality of urban space, an interpretation of the notion of sustainability, factors determining the connection between suburbs and the city, and, last but not least, possible key elements to be acknowledged in strategies of urban development. The work aims to supplement the perception of problems of local-scale planning, attempting to evaluate difficult choices to be made in order to conform to the conditions of sustainability. © 2012 WIT Press.