Routledge Library Editions: Sustainability – serie

The 4 volumes in this set, originally published between 1988 and 1997, draw together research by leading academics in the area of sustainability and provides a rigorous examination of related key issues. The volumes examine environmental policy and plans for a sustainable future. This set will be of particular interest to students of Environmental Studies.

First published in 1988. A Dictionary of Green Ideas collects together the concepts which go to make up a green view of the world. Ecology and the environment, conservation and appropriate technology, politics and philosophy, peace and health, spirituality and world development - all these areas and more are reflected in nearly 1500 entries. The entries range from the very short to full-length essays, reflecting the diversity of the subject matter. All give a clear definition of the meaning of the term and an indication of its etymology and earliest use. But the Dictionary of Green Ideas is much more than simply a list of definitions. The concepts discussed are elaborated upon, interpreted, set in context, exemplified by quotations from a wide range of sources, and related to other entries by means of an extensive network of cross-references. The result is a fascinating and immensely readable book which successfully fulfils a double role as an accessible introduction to green thought, and as a source of reference offering new insights to green thinkers of long standing.

First published in 1988. A Dictionary of Green Ideas collects together the concepts which go to make up a green view of the world. Ecology and the environment, conservation and appropriate technology, politics and philosophy, peace and health, spirituality and world development - all these areas and more are reflected in nearly 1500 entries. The entries range from the very short to full-length essays, reflecting the diversity of the subject matter. All give a clear definition of the meaning of the term and an indication of its etymology and earliest use. But the Dictionary of Green Ideas is much more than simply a list of definitions. The concepts discussed are elaborated upon, interpreted, set in context, exemplified by quotations from a wide range of sources, and related to other entries by means of an extensive network of cross-references. The result is a fascinating and immensely readable book which successfully fulfils a double role as an accessible introduction to green thought, and as a source of reference offering new insights to green thinkers of long standing.

First published in 1990. The options and probabilities for the future of cities are issues of outstanding contemporary importance, both in the developed and developing worlds. The Living City draws together both current mainstream ideas on their futures and various alternative views to enliven the debate and put forward an agenda for sustainable urban development, emphasizing ideas that question the economic imperatives of that development. Certain aspects of city life - the economy of the city, city-countryside relationships, the city as a cultural centre - are selected for study, as the book looks at the historical past and current experiences to speculate on the likely condition of cities in the future. In addition, the book investigates whether the Third World experience of city life is a separate experience or whether there are lessons to be learnt relating to all cities. The book will appeal to professionals in the surveying, planning and architectural fields, as well as students and academics in Planning, Geography, Economics, Architecture, Development Studies and Sociology and anyone interested in issues concerning the city and the environment.

First published in 1990. The options and probabilities for the future of cities are issues of outstanding contemporary importance, both in the developed and developing worlds. The Living City draws together both current mainstream ideas on their futures and various alternative views to enliven the debate and put forward an agenda for sustainable urban development, emphasizing ideas that question the economic imperatives of that development. Certain aspects of city life - the economy of the city, city-countryside relationships, the city as a cultural centre - are selected for study, as the book looks at the historical past and current experiences to speculate on the likely condition of cities in the future. In addition, the book investigates whether the Third World experience of city life is a separate experience or whether there are lessons to be learnt relating to all cities. The book will appeal to professionals in the surveying, planning and architectural fields, as well as students and academics in Planning, Geography, Economics, Architecture, Development Studies and Sociology and anyone interested in issues concerning the city and the environment.

First published in 1997. 1997 marked the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development - the celebrated ‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro which represented the high-water mark of intergovernmental action for sustainable development. Whilst some were tempted to dismiss the Conference as a gesture of concern by the participating governments, the list of resolutions which arose from the Summit is formidable, and the key text to emerge from the conference process, Agenda 21, had proven to be crucial to efforts to disseminate and implement the principles of globally sustainable development. The Way Forward outlines the successes and failures of those first five years. Calling on a list of eminent experts, it provides an unparalleled analysis of the agreements that were reached, and the stakeholders who were charged with implementing them. It reviews the progress that was made at the intergovernmental, national and grassroots levels, and offers a cogent summary of the major issues that needed to be addressed for the future. Lucid, compact and authoritative, this is the essential guide to ‘Rio plus five’.

First published in 1997. 1997 marked the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development - the celebrated ‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro which represented the high-water mark of intergovernmental action for sustainable development. Whilst some were tempted to dismiss the Conference as a gesture of concern by the participating governments, the list of resolutions which arose from the Summit is formidable, and the key text to emerge from the conference process, Agenda 21, had proven to be crucial to efforts to disseminate and implement the principles of globally sustainable development. The Way Forward outlines the successes and failures of those first five years. Calling on a list of eminent experts, it provides an unparalleled analysis of the agreements that were reached, and the stakeholders who were charged with implementing them. It reviews the progress that was made at the intergovernmental, national and grassroots levels, and offers a cogent summary of the major issues that needed to be addressed for the future. Lucid, compact and authoritative, this is the essential guide to ‘Rio plus five’.

First published in 1992. The world is not living within its means. Current development policies, in both industrial and developing countries, are wasting resources and destroying the commons on which we all depend. The world is set on a path of deepening poverty and a deteriorating environment. New policies are needed to achieve sustainable development. This book presents an integrated series of essays on the policies for sustainable development from one of the leading policy research institutes on environment and development issues. It concentrates on the developing world and looks at the specific sectors to which the policies have to be applied. Beginning with a discussion of what constitutes sustainable development, it goes on to deal with the institutional arrangements needed to mobilise human resources for change and the economic policies for sustainable natural resource management. It then examines the policies needed in agriculture, urban development, industry, forests, drylands, energy use, finance, population and consumption. Throughout it demonstrates how those directly involved are best placed to manage their environments and resources. Policies must support the experience and resourcefulness of local people. Sustainable development requires that they control their own futures. This title will be of great interest to students of Environmental Studies.