ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the major streams of thought that have evolved in each of the areas. To understand the motivation and context for sustainability in the built environment today, it is important to review the evolution of the sustainability movement and the major ideas and concepts that emerged along the way. The chapter presents some of the most well-known examples of applied sustainability frameworks that have been used to guide design and decision making in multiple fields. The evolution of sustainability science has included many insights about how natural systems and stocks of natural resources require constraints on human behaviour if sustainability requirements for future generations are to be maintained. The chapter describes some of the relevant theory human behaviour that influences the overall sustainability equation. The Tragedy of the Commons is a second theory describing human behaviour that must be considered in designing approaches to achieve sustainability.
