ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the legacy of traditional urban spaces throughout history, the attributes they possess and what can be learned from them in enhancing the urban experience. Practitioners in the urban environment, politicians, corporations, economists, manufacturers and retailers, environmental agencies, religious institutions and all leaders who believe that the 'business as usual' approach remains a viable policy ignore the fact that the world's resources are finite. However, dominion can be interpreted in many ways, including good stewardship, which in the global context is the only route available for a world facing an escalating scale of challenges in population growth, migration and urbanisation, and an escalating demand for natural resources. The relevance to urban design and planning briefs in the post-millennium era is conclusive, that to avoid costly failure, urban design and planning briefs should be products of democratic engagement with the end-user, the urban dweller.
