“Sustainable Urbanism” These two words represent the biggest challenge and the biggest hope of our generation. The Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (ISU) seeks to explore, co-design, engineer, and promote all strata of sustainable development.

Cities play a crucial role in confronting the challenges of real sustainability in our collective future. By sustainability we mean the long-term viability of our society, encompassing factors such as the social and economic flourishing of people, responsible resource-consumption, livability of the habitat, and the thriving of the natural environment. By urbanism we mean all of the systems, members, and forces, visible and invisible, which constitute today’s interconnected, globalized society.

Cities, after all, are the biggest consumers of natural resources, including human, and also some of the most vulnerable places threatened by climate change. But they are the nexus of power, influence, human and natural resources, culture, ideas, and creativity. As such, cities are key sites of opportunity in making steps toward real sustainability.