This fascinating book explores environmental, institutional, social and cultural aspects of sustainability in a variety of towns and cities in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America. The contributors focus particularly on meeting the needs of the urban poor. The main themes are:urban environmental management with particular reference to economic activities and housing achieving institutional, social and cultural sustainability managing urban development processes to reduce their environmental impacts, to improve the produced built environments and sustain improved practices. Drawing on case studies of individual cities (Lahore, Shanghai, Medellin, Florianópolis, Hofuf, Cairo) and countries (South Africa, Mozzambique, Iran) as well as comparative research and analytical procedures, the international group of contributors evaluate government policies and practices and make suggestions for improvements

• Prelims (Contents, Foreword, The Urban Management Series, Acknowledgements, List of figures, List of boxes, List of tables, List of acronyms and abbreviations)
• 1. Introduction
• Carole Rakodi, Sam Romaya
• PART I: URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING
• 2. Housing and industry in Lahore, Pakistan: good or bad neighbours?
• Rizwan Hameed, Jeremy Raemaekers
• 3. Urban growth and development in Shanghai: towards responsive institutional arrangements for environmental planning and management
• David Shaw, Peter J.B. Brown, David W. Massey, Xiangrong Wang
• 4. Rational environmental decision-making: some lessons from Thailand’s EIA experience
• Orapim Pimcharoen, David Shaw
• 5. The effects of home-based enterprises on the residential environment in developing countries
• Graham Tipple, Justine Coulson, Peter Kellett
• PART II: ACHIEVING INSTITUTIONAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
• 6. Environments of harmony and social conflict: the role of the environment in defusing urban violence in Medellin, Colombia
• Peter Brand
• 7. Building sustainable capacity for urban poverty reduction
• Carole Rakodi
• 8. The role of civil society in housing policy development: some lessons from Southern Africa
• Paul Jenkins
• 9. Community empowerment and social sustainability in Florianópolis, Brazil
• Denise Martins Lopes, Carole Rakodi
• 10. When the state cannot cope: community self-management? The case of Rincón Grande de Pavas in San José de Costa Rica, Central America
• Harry Smith
• 11. Cultural continuity: comparing the fereej system and modern housing development in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
• Mashary A. Al-Naim
• PART III: SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
• 12. Incremental transformations for sustainable urban settlements
• Sam Romaya
• 13. Good practice in core area development: combating poverty through a participatory approach
• Tony Lloyd-Jones, Sarah Carmona
• 14. Ambitious aims, persistent problems: an evaluation of low-income urban housing policy in Iran
• M.R. Dallalpour Mohammadi
• 15. Developing appropriate housing standards and procedures
• Theo Schilderman, Lucky Lowe
• 16. Public–private partnerships in urban land development
• Geoffrey Payne
• 17. Conclusion: some building blocks for sustainable urban settlements
• Carole Rakodi
• Back Matter (Notes on authors, Notes, References, Index)

Sam Romaya Sam Romaya is an architect–planner specializing in urban planning, urban design and urban conservation with interest in developing countries in general and the Middle East in particular.

Carole Rakodi Carole Rakodi, geographer and town planner, is Professor of International Urban Development in the International Development Department, School of Public Policy, at the University of Birmingham.