This book, written by worldwide specialists from Canada, India, Italy, Palestine, Peru, Spain and the Netherlands, is a guide to establishing a city on a sustainable path. It addresses sustainable urban planning issues by breaking the city down to its main components. The authors analyze and discuss such topics as:

• urban social and economic factors, including immigration and cultural integration, the gender component, the formation of slums, and social indicators
• the interaction of the city with the environment, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• urban and regional economics, including specialization and dependency, asset management, and community facilities
• the relationship of a city within its region
• urban planning, including urban sprawl and core revitalization
• housing and relocation, including such concepts as community participation
• degradation and measures to reverse this situation
• energy needs, transportation management, basic infrastructural services, the generation and disposal of waste, and water in the region
• a city's preparedness, including risk analysis and contingency plans
• urban reconstruction after disasters

The concluding chapters provide a 'what to do and how to do it' practical roadmap forimplementing a sustainability program.

"This volume belongs in the library of every serious city planner and policy-maker committed to building a future that works for us all."

                                                             Mathis Wackernagel, Global Footprint Network