ABSTRACT
Cities are now considerably unsustainable in that they cannot continue in the same way—consuming resources and generating waste. But what does urban sustainability mean? There are a variety of terms, adjectives and meanings associated with “sustainability” from ecological, environmental, social, political, cultural and economic perspectives. The concept in part stems from an appreciation that the environment is of limited capacity. It questions the principal Enlightenment project of the mastery of nature and its unlimited exploitation. In this chapter we first examine the intellectual history behind sustainability. Although we concentrate on the US, many countries have a similar experience. We then explore ways in which sustainability is defined and theorized. In the second part of the chapter, we turn to ways cities are practicing sustainability.
