Dimensions of housing and urban sustainability

Abstract

Sustainability has been a topic of discussion at ENHR 1 conferences since 2000. At our first workshop in Gavle, Sweden, the discussion dealt with the problems of definition, a multidisciplinary approach, and the conver­gence among papers. Such problems might discourage researchers from using the "all-embracing" and perhaps ambiguous concept of sustainability. Researchers and practitioners alike might question the transferability of the concept into practica! applications. The ENHR working group on Housing and Urban Sustainability takes the view that the richness and ambiguity of the concept make it not only inspiring but also a constructive basis for housing research. Furthermore, whether we like it or not, the concept is established; reference to sustainability is unavoidable in any discussion of housing and urban development.