This text addresses the difficulties of balancing the imperatives of sustainability with the pressing challenges facing some of the world's most underdeveloped areas. Various perspectives are brought to bear on issues from economics and theories of health through to the foundations of sustainability. All the key contemporary developments are dealt with; the growth in international law and agreements on controlling greenhouse gases; the effect of reforms in finance, governance and methods of appraisal on the areas of waste management; and the theoretical advances in the community development aspects of health and the neighbourhood environment guided by the experiences of the World Bank, WHO and UNEP. The text is intended as a guidebook for those responsible for re-shaping cities in the 21st century.

This publication is intended to encourage and support urban decision-makers as it recognizes that action taken in towns and cities is essential for addressing global environmental problems, and with an increasing proportion of the world's population living in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries, these are important sites for engaging with the environment. Recognizing the increasing role of cities, it builds on the 2007 report, Liveable Cities: the benefits of urban environmental planning. Since the launch of the Liveable Cities report in 2007, cities have become increasingly prominent in terms of addressing global environmental issues. Much of this has been around climate change, with the expansion of initiatives such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the launch of the Carbon Cities Climate Registry in 2010, and the initiation of the Durban Adaptation Charter in 2011.