Built Environment

Sustainability is a priority worldwide but the term has become a tag added often unthinkingly to guarantee the validity of policies, products and values. If we are serious about it we need to ensure we agree on what it means and how to attain it, says Silvio Caputo

Sustainability is generally regarded as a way of living that will not undermine the capacity of future generations to enjoy the world’s resources. Sustainability is therefore about the future. But since the future is inherently uncertain, how can we be sure that what we put in place today in the name of sustainability will deliver what it promises? The answer could be: it must be flexible enough to adapt to future conditions whilst continuing to be resource-efficient. It must be resilient.

There’s a lot in the press these days about quality of life in England – post mortems around the summer riots, debates about the planning laws and ‘sustainable development’, the impact of financial disasters elsewhere.