ABSTRACT
At this stage of the book it should be clear that sustainability assessment is very complex and sustainability assessment needs careful design if it is to help to achieve sustainable development. Chapters 3 and 8 have set the scene for considering what matters in sustainability assessment, while chapters 9–12 provided examples of some existing practice which is summarised in this chapter in order to highlight the critical areas which need to be addressed if practice is to be considered effective (judged by our own evaluation frame- work). Chapters 13 and 14 dealt specifically with the issues of pluralismand knowledge and learningand we recognise that these are critical to effective sustainability assessment, and have provided some insights on the best ways forward.
