Sustainable cities

What do we mean by sustainability? Sustainability can encompass a wide variety of practices – The foundation of sustainability is commonly examined through three dimensions: the effect of a phenomenon or system on society (often referred to as social sustainability), its impact on the environment (often referred to as environmental sustainability), and its economic implications (often referred to as economic sustainability). This threefold depiction is called the triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability; it was first introduced by Elkington in 1994 and is still used nowadays. The aim of the TBL is to consider the impact of resource consumption and the value creation in terms of integration among the three dimensions, assuming that each of them is equally important.
“Sustainability is a process of continuous, ongoing improvement, and a realignment of community goals to grow in a more responsible and resilient manner” (Herman 2010). Sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being with due consideration to ecological, economic, political and cultural aspects.
Sustainable cities need to work well for their citizens in the present :
? build transport systems that enable people to navigate the city quickly and affordably,
?have clean and safe water supplies,
?strong social structures and institutions that work predictably and efficiently,
? a healthy and well educated workforce, and
? an environment conducive to strong economic performance. Sustainable cities need to take the future into account, must:
?take care of their waste,
?avoid polluting the atmosphere and
?protect the surrounding water from contamination.
?guard against rare and unpredictable events such as disasters that can cost lives and set back their development.