ABSTRACT
Cities are facing social, economic and environmental challenges that force rethinking of current practices. It is vital to look at these changes as an evolution: recognizing the past, examining the present and pointing to the future. This chapter introduces sustainability as a framework for shaping an approach to urban design and combatting contemporary challenges. First, the chapter lists the current challenges faced by today's cities. Then, sustainability on its key pillars is presented and defined and indexes to measure it using carbon and ecological footprints as well as notable case studies are given.
