ABSTRACT
In its 2007 report on the state of the UK urban environment, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) made a distinction between ‘cumulative’ and ‘systemic’ urban issues (RCEP, 2007). Cumulative issues can arise in any human settlement but may be exacerbated in towns and cities; an example of such an issue is building energy use. Systemic issues, on the other hand, arise because of the unique social, economic and environmental characteristics of urban settlements.
