Intro -- EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Geographical Perspectives -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Figures and Tables -- List of Contributors -- Preface -- List of Acronyms and Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction -- Introduction -- Conflicting Political Ideals -- Sustainable Development as an Ambiguous Compromise -- From Economic Growth to Sustainable Development -- Capital: A Unifying Thread in Development Theories -- Economic Theories of Sustainable Development -- Reconciling the Political and Theoretical Discourses -- Questions about Sustainable Development -- Geographical Perspectives on Sustainable Development -- Conclusion -- 2 Geography and Sustainable Development -- Introduction -- A Case for Geography -- Engaging with Sustainable Development -- Geography and the Pursuit of More Sustainable Development -- Looking Deeper -- Conclusion -- 3 The Role of Spatial Scale and Spatial Interactions in Sustainable Development -- Introduction -- Structuring Global Space -- Achieving Sustainable Development at Different Levels -- Sustainable Development in Open Economies -- Interaction between Different Spatial Levels -- Conclusion -- 4 Linking the Local to the Global: Can Sustainable Development Work in Practice? -- Introduction -- Approaches to Development -- Can Local Action Substitute for Ineffective State Institutions? -- The Political Limits of Local Action -- National Constraints on Participation in Sri Lanka -- Institutional Change and Community Forestry in Nepal -- Conclusion -- 5 Forecasting Urban Futures: A Systems Analytical Perspective on the Development of Sustainable Urban Regions -- Introduction -- Impacts of Urban Development -- The Complexity of Urban Sustainability -- A Systems Perspective: Urban Modelling and Sustainability Assessment -- Models of Sustainable and Urban Development.

The Quantifiable City Programme: Sustainable Urban Development Modelling in Practice -- Problems and Prospects for Urban Sustainability Modelling -- Conclusion -- 6 Making Cities More Sustainable: People, Plans and Participation -- Introduction -- Continuity and Change in Urban Problems -- Outlining Sustainable Urban Development -- Planning for Urban Sustainability -- People as Planners: Participation in the Search for Sustainable Urban Development -- Urban Challenges in the Developing World -- Communicating Good Practice -- Making the Local Universal: A Concluding Reflection -- 7 Business, Capital and Sustainable Economic Development -- Introduction -- Business and the Environment -- Sustainable Economic Development as Eco-efficiency -- Too Good To Be True: Are Win-Win Arguments Sustainable? -- A Space for Sustainable Development? -- Conclusion -- 8 Sustainable Agricuture for the 21st Century -- Introduction -- Modern Agriculture: Reviewing the Account -- Sustainable Farming: Different Places, Different Solutions -- Greater Resource Efficiency -- Redistributing Resources -- Conclusion: Sustainable Futures -- 9 Sustaining the Flow: Japanese Waterways and New Paradigms of Development -- Introduction -- 21st-Century Japan: Poised for Sustainable Development? -- Past Imperfect -- River Management: The Context -- Technocentric River Planning and the Ministry of Construction -- Reassessing the Role of Rivers -- From Words to Deeds -- Problems Behind the Projects: Environmental Quality and Participation -- Conclusion: Points of Ideological Cleavage -- 10 Sustainable Futures for the Arctic North -- Introduction -- Varieties fo Development -- Unsustainable Development: Past Practice and Conflict over Renewable and Non-renewable Resources -- Sustainable Development in Principle -- Moves Towards More Sustainable Development: The North American Experience.

Lessons for the Russian Arctic -- International Initiatives to Promote More Sustainable Development -- Conclusion -- 11 Climate Change, Energy and Sustainable Development -- Introduction -- Climate Change: A Threat to Sustainable Development? -- Adaptation to Current and Future Climate Regimes -- Mitigating Climate Change -- The Wider Context of Sustainable Development -- Scales fo Change: Theory and Practice -- Conclusion -- 12 Sustainable Development and International Relations -- Introduction -- The World as Viewed by International Relations Theories -- Climate Change: The Predominance of an Isolated Globalist Discourse -- Discourses in Conflict at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development -- Modifying Existing International Institutions -- Conclusion -- 13 Future Perspectives: Developing Sustainable Development -- Introduction -- Reflecting upon Existing Strategies -- A Necessary Critique -- Consensus and Contest -- The Challenge of Sustainable Development -- Sustainable Development and Societal Change -- A More Pragmatic Response -- The Limitations on Current Theories -- References -- Index.

Sustainable development is capturing the attention of planners, politicians and business leaders. Within the academic sphere its study is increasingly breaching disciplinary boundaries to become a focus of attention for natural and social scientists alike. But in studying such a key concept, it is vital that there is a clear definition of what it means, how it is applied on the ground, and the influence it exerts upon people's perceptions of change in the physical environment, economic activity and society. Exploring Sustainable Development is a major new text which provides a multifaceted introduction to key areas of study in this field, examining sustainability at the full range of spatial scales from the local to the global. Building on existing theory it demonstrates the unique contributions that thinking geographically about space, place and human-environment relationships can bring to the analysis of sustainable development. This book explores different interpretations of sustainable development in both theory and practice, in developed and developing countries, and in rural and urban areas. It pays particular attention to the local, national and international politics of implementation, the future of climate and energy, the role of business, and different conceptions of agricultural sustainability. This wide-ranging text is ideal for undergraduates and postgraduates in geography, environmental science, development studies, and related social and political sciences.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.