Planning Sustainable Cities: An infrastructure-based approach provides an analytical
framework for urban sustainability, focusing on the services and performance of
infrastructure systems.
The book approaches infrastructure as a series of systems that function in synergy and are
directly linked with urban planning. This method streamlines and guides the planning process,
while still highlighting detail, each infrastructure system is decoded in four “system levels”. The
levels organize the processes, highlight connections between entities and decode the high-level
planning and decision making process affecting infrastructure. For each system level strategic
objectives of planning are determined.
The objectives correspond to the five focus areas of the Zofnass program: Quality of life,
Natural World, Climate and Risk, Resource Allocation, Leadership. Developed through the
Zofnass Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, this approach integrates the key
infrastructure systems of Energy, Landscape, Transportation, Waste, Water, Information and
Food and explores their synergies through land use planning, engineering, economics
and policy. The size and complexity of infrastructure systems means that multiple stakeholders
facing their own challenges and agendas are involved in planning; this book creates a common,
collaborative platform between public authorities, planners, and engineers. It is an essential
resource for those seeking Envision Sustainability Professionals accreditation.
