The Philosophy of Sustainable City Design

Sustainable cities are not only a desirable future but a necessary one yet we still haven’t achieved fully sustainable cities. We have the technological and economic means to create sustainable cities but attempts like Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates have failed to meet their potential. To create a sustainable city we also need to have harmony between the three E’s of sustainability: environment, economy, and equity. The most essential element of sustainability isn’t one of these E’s though, it is community. Community is the thing that holds these principles together and without it, a city cannot succeed. We need more than just a successful community though, we need sustainable design to support the community and vise-versa.