Urban Sustainability: Perspectives on Change

Abstract

Sustainability resides at the nexus of philosophy, practice, politics, and technology. As such, the policies, behaviors, and discussions associated with “sustainability” are often contested. Despite the potential for conflict, nearly all stakeholders at all scales recognize that sustainability and sustainable practices necessarily extend from and/or interact across three domains: Social Systems, Ecological Systems, and Economic Systems. The systems, most often referred to as the three pillars (Environment, Economic, and Social), are sometimes complementary; but often are juxtaposed in a functionally perpendicular fashion. As a result, theory and practice are often side-ways and often result in partial or imperfect results.