Looking at an increasingly urban world, this book examines how urban areas are by far the most serious pollutants of our environment. As more people come to live in them, the question of how we can turn these centres of major pollution into ecologically, economically and socially sustainable environments is looked into. The book examines social issues central to understanding how sustainability in cities can be achieved, looking at concepts, theories and problems of sustainable development - from a developed and developed world perspective. It then considers regional perspectives, with contributions from Southeast Asia, North America and Eastern Europe. Finally, the book presents local answers to the problems of of sustainable urban development, with examples from Iran, Poland, Canada, and Finland, among others.