ABSTRACT
We turn now to look at possible directions for sustainability planning at many different scales of governance, from the global to the local. “Planning” is often thought of as an activity that occurs at a municipal government scale through specific land use and development decisions within cities. But countless other forms of planning occur at both larger and smaller scales as well. International agencies, national governments, states or provinces, nonprofit organizations, and individual landowners and developers all seek to shape contexts for the future. Coordination of goals starting at the broadest possible scales is essential to the process of sustainable development. Large-scale policies and programs can help smaller-scale planning happen more effectively, and can ensure that minimum standards of environmental protection and human well-being are met even if local governments are particularly resistant to providing them.
