Livable today, sustainable for the future.

The principles outlined here will help cities significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving the quality of life.

Citizens of the world do not want to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic. They do not want to walk in mud, not feel threatened on a simple bike ride to work. They want to be in citites that provide for creative interaction, affordable living and healthy environment. The successful city of the 21st century will be replete with choices, including nonmotorized, post-fossil fuel travel options.

Cities that meet the challenge of sustainability will leap ahead of others by attracting people who demand a healthy and culturally-rich lifestyle.

Sustainability does not have to hurt. Reducing CO2 emissions, conserving land, and making transport more efficient go hand in hand with improving quality of life. We aspire to lay the foundation for achieving global sustainability not through uniform technological solutions but through a global celebration of local difference and innovation based on a common set of principles.

The Our Cities Ourselves program invites design teams from ten cities around the world to apply these principles to ten unique locations. This book illustrates the principles that lay behind the designs. Our hope is that national and local leaders worldwide will look to it for inspiration.