Evaluating Sustainable Development. Patrizia Lombardi

Sustainable development has been characterised by an emphasis on environmental issues and an ad hoc approach to structuring the subject which hinders the development of knowledge in a systematic way. The built environment contributes significantly to the environment but is also one of the major factors in determining whether a community is sustainable in the longer term. A structure is required which aids definition, provides a common set of values, establishes measurement methods to define progress, and suggests a management system and decision protocol which enables practitioners to engage and use the resultant structures and information. This book provides a suggested structure in which all aspects of sustainable development can be included together with a set of evaluation techniques which can be used within the structure to provide assistance to decision making.