ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on urban sustainability, individual well-being and quality of life. The evolution of modern societies suggests that sustainability is no longer restricted to environmental concerns, but also incorporates economic and social dimensions. Urban development and evolution inherently use up resources from the ecosystem, thus potentially leading to a deterioration of the quality of the urban environment. One approach for modelling urban sustainability is the metabolism model, where the urban ecosystem is viewed as a human body. Social equity is arguably favoured by high-density urban development, as citizens have a larger number of local services available within their reach. Peluso and Trannoy analyse the conditions under which the individual's and household's points of views are consistent with each other. Modelling housing preferences for both dwelling type and local amenities is then essential to evaluating housing public policies. Urban sustainability and individual/household well-being thus become critical for the viability of cities.
