Local Sustainability: Can the Planning System Help Get Us from Here to There?

Planning issues relating to sustainable development in the UK are examined. On a local level, some general guidelines for town planners are offered, including protection of critical natural capital, maintenance of a constant stock of substitutable natural capital, long-term decision-making, social and intergenerational equity, adoption of the precautionary principle, inclusion of citizen commitment, and recognition of sustainable development as a process and journey as much as a product and destination. Advances in planning methods, such as geographic information systems, analytical techniques, environmental assessment, development controls, and greater citizen participation will be needed to further the sustainable development idea.