ABSTRACT
It is now taken as read that the implementation of sustainable development would imply policy action at the local level and that, particularly in the case of the heavily urbanized countries of Europe, this means a distinctive urban focus. This view is given recognition in the Local Agenda 21 process arising out of the UNCED summits and reports and the establishment of a roving United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development. It is also reflected in numerous EU publications, including the Green Book on the urban environment (CEC 1990) and the Fifth Environmental Action Programme on the Environment, Towards Sustainability (CEC 1992b), among others.
