Sustainability and Urban Planning

Abstract

Since post World War Two, a great number of urban settlements have expanded beyond metropolitan areas. The operations of these outer urban areas have generally accelerated environmental impacts (Gaia atlas of cities: new directions for sustainable urban living, London). One challenge for regional and local government authorities within these newly expanding areas is to develop ESD based urban planning practices. This type of urban planning aims to incorporate ESD criteria across the full range of ESD components---social/cultural, environmental and economic. As noted in the previous chapter, sustainability and ESD are complex and evolving concepts. Given this complexity, and the aim of developing a sustainable communities framework (SCF), a review of sustainability in the context of urban planning is essential.