Sustainability and Cities examines the urban aspect of sustainability issues, arguing that cities are a necessary focus for that global agenda. The authors make the case that the essential character of a city's land use results from how it manages its transportation, and that only by reducing our automobile dependence will we be able to successfully accommodate all elements of the sustainability agenda.
The book begins with chapters that set forth the notion of sustainability and how it applies to cities and automobile dependence. The authors consider the changing urban economy in the information age, and describe the extent of automobile dependence worldwide. They provide an updated survey of global cities that examines a range of sustainability factors and indicators, and, using a series of case studies, demonstrate how cities around the world are overcoming the problem of automobile dependence. They also examine the connections among transportation and other issues—including water use and cycling, waste management, and greening the urban landscape—and explain how all elements of sustainability can be managed simultaneously.
The authors end with a consideration of how professional planners can promote the sustainability agenda, and the ethical base needed to ensure that this critical set of issues is taken seriously in the world's cities.
Sustainability and Cities will serve as a source of both learning and inspiration for those seeking to create more sustainable cities, and is an important book for practitioners, researchers, and students in the fields of planning, geography, and public policy.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. The Concept of Sustainability and Its Relationship to Cities
Chapter 2. The Problem of Automobile Dependence at the End of the Twentieth Century
Chapter 3. The Pattern of Automobile Dependence and Global Cities
Chapter 4. A Vision of Reduced Automobile Dependence
Chapter 5. Greening the Automobile-Dependent City
Chapter 6. Promoting Sustainable Urban Change
Chapter 7. Ethics, Spirituality, and Community in the Sustainable City
Chapter 8. Summary and Conclusions
Appendix 1: Data and Methodology for the Thirty-seven City Study for the World Bank
Appendix 2: Growth Management Approaches and Guidelines
Appendix 3: A Checklist for City Sustainability Using Economic Efficiency, Social Equity, Environmental Responsibility, and Human Livability Criteria
Appendix 4: An Economic Impact Statement for Urban Development
Appendix 5: Guidelines for New Urbanism Development (The Ahwahnee Principles)
Appendix 6: A Guide to the Provision of Better Transit and Land Use Integration in Auto Cities
References
Index
