ABSTRACT
In the preceding chapters, we have reviewed developments in the theory and practice of sustainability appraisal, broadly interpreted as a generic process to evaluate progress toward sustainable development across all three pillars and against agreed policy goals and criteria. Much of this work can be best described as integrative rather than integrated, e.g. proceeding from one or other of the three pillars of sustainable development and taking on other dimensions as far as necessary or practicable. This graduated or incremental approach is to be expected, given the emergent state of sustainability appraisal, and offers a pragmatic way forward even though it aligns only partially with the normative paradigm of sustainable development. However, using this scope of review has uncovered a much larger and eclectic body of material than we initially anticipated, inflating the book to its present size.
