Progress toward sustainable settlements: a role for urban climatology

• DOI: 10.1007/s00704-005-0145-0
• Publication Date: 2005-06-28T11:15:59Z
• Authors: Mills G.
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 0211 other engineering and technologies; 02 engineering and technology; 12. Responsible consumption

Sustainable development can be defined as that which meets the needs of the current generation while leaving sufficient resources for the needs of future generations. A central objective is to decouple conventional resource use (and its corollary, waste generation) from economic development through technological innovation, improved efficiency and changes in individual practices. As the global population becomes urbanized and human activity is concentrated in urban areas, settlement planning is a key aspect of sustainability. The widespread inclusion of environmental objectives in urban plans at all scales provides an opportunity for the incorporation of urban climate knowledge into the planning process on a routine basis. Many of the stated objectives have both direct and indirect connections to climate. However, for this to happen, climate research and results must be linked more explicitly to the objectives of the sustainable settlement. In this paper, the relevance of sustainability to urban design and climate is discussed and the potential contribution of current urban climatology is assessed, identifying areas of special consideration for transfer to achieve sustainable urban planning and design.