How Green Is the City?: Sustainability Assessment and the Management of Urban Environments

Urban lifestyles characterized by high consumption levels, exuberant use of natural resources, excessive production of waste, a widening gap between rich and poor, and rapid growth of the global human population pose a major problem for the future survival of our species. Urban development must therefore meet the needs of the present generations without compromising the needs of future generations. Putting this goal into practice remains a major challenge. This book introduces "sustainability assessment," a new concept that aims to help in steering societies in a more sustainable direction, and applies this concept to cities. It deals with practical ways to reach a more sustainable state in urban areas through such tools as strategic environmental assessment, sustainability assessment, direction analysis, baseline setting and progress measurement, sustainability targets, and ecological footprint analysis. With these tools, humans can maintain or improve the health, productivity, and quality of their lives in harmony with nature.