A team of city-building professionals explain in straightforward terms how the idea of ecological sustainability can be embodied in the everyday life of homes, communities and cities to make a better future. The book considers - and answers - three questions: What does the global agenda of sustainable development mean for the urban spaces where most people live, work and move? Can we keep what we love about suburban life and still save the environment? And what new methods of planning and building will be needed in the 21st century?

Rejecting both economic and environmental orthodoxy, the book's essential message is that the sustainable city can be built by a thousand well-directed small changes. It draws on practical case material from around the world and weaves together four critical aspects of urban life: housing, open space, workplaces and transport. A 'photographic essay' of 32 colour plates illustrates the ideas discussed.