Product Description

How can we put the pulsing heart of conviviality back into our cities? How can we make sure of creating cities of diversity for the 21st century - places of cultural vigour and physical beauty that are also sustainable in economic and environmental terms? This text aims to show the way forward. Modern cities make a huge impact on their environments, but would still prosper if they were to dramatically reduce their consumption of resources and energy. Waste recycling can massively reduce urban use of resources whilst creating many new jobs; new materials and architectural designs can greatly improve the environmental performance of urban buildings. Cities can also adopt imaginative new approaches to transport planning and management, and the use of urban space. We can dramatically improve the experience of urban life by the creation of new urban villages, reducing the peoples' desire to escape from the pressures of city life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82827 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 77 pages

From the Author
This short book is meant to make a positive contribution to the quest for sustainable development. The new millennium gives us a special opportunity to focus our minds on how the age of the city can also become an age of sustainability. I wish to contribute to this discussion in order to make some constructive suggestions, whilst I am also aware that the sustainable city is still a singularly elusive creature. The following text speaks for itself.

About the Author
Herbert Girardet is a UN Global 500 Award recipient, and the author of the acclaimed The Gaia Atlas of Cities and co-author of Making Cities Work, published by Earthscan for Habitat II. His documentary on London's metabolism, Metropolis, was shown on Channel 4, London, in 1994. His report Getting London in Shape for 2000 was commissioned by London First. He also co-authored the report Creating a Sustainable London. He is visiting Professor for Environmental Planning at Middlesex University, London.

Customer Reviews

A non-exhausting and innovative read!
Herbert Girardet's 'Creating Sustainable Cities' carries on his work from 'The Gaia Atlas on Cities' and 'Making Cities Work' but this time concentrates more specifically to large cities and their ecologigal problems. Girardet uses a consistent writing style with brilliant examples in form of case studies and manages to give a sound perspective on sustainable development in less than a hundred pages. An essential read for anyone interested in sustainability.