A powerful and compelling vision of urban sustainability
CAN A CITY BE SUSTAINABLE?, a compendium of the current trends in urban sustainability, is a broad-reaching and useful guide for anyone involved in the work of urban planning and development. It is not an introductory work, and does expect a degree of familiarity with the language and ideology of urban planning/development. Beginning with the concession that our imagination for sustainable cities is still maturing, the opening chapter narrates a possible scenario of what a sustainable city might look like in fifty years or more.

The book is divided into three parts: 1) “The City as Human Construct” (which explores the ways we imagine and articulate urban places and urban sustainability); 2) “The Urban Climate Challenge” and 3) “Politics, Equity and Livability”. These sections cover a broad swath of the socioeconomic, governmental and ecological issues that will lead our cities in the direction of sustainability.

The book’s final two chapters, which explore inclusion, cohesion and social justice were perhaps the ones that most captured my imagination, as these issues are often omitted in explorations of what urban sustainability might look like.

Our world is undoubtedly on the road to urbanization, and the health and well-being of all of us, we need cities that are moving thoughtfully toward sustainability. This book is a wonderful work that will stir our imaginations, and highlight the challenges that lurk just beyond the horizon on this journey.