‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

Positive Development
would meet established ecologically sustainable development criteria – but 
also reverse the impacts of 
current
systems of development, increase the ecological base and public 
estate, and improve human life quality; that is, enhance the ecology and equity.
Precautionary principle
refers to the idea that we should not use a lack of scientific evidence as 
an excuse for inaction in addressing an environmental problem. It does not say we should take 
affirmative action to improve conditions whether there is a threat or not.
Primary industries
, such as mining, fishing, agriculture and forestry, were addressed by environmental 
laws. Because construction was seen as ‘secondary’, pollution controls have not addressed the 
demand
for harmful materials caused by built environment design.
Public estate
refers to accessible means of survival. As civilians lose access to the means of survival, 
they also effectively lose basic democratic rights and autonomy. Ownership per se is not at issue (eg 
nature conservancies protect land for future generations).
Rebound effect
is where a more energy-efficient product reduces the costs of production or operation, 
but leads to an increased use of that product (such as efficient cars that are driven more miles) or the 
money saved being spent on other products or services with greater impacts.
Resource autonomous
homes or buildings are largely self-sufficient. They produce their own energy, 
clean the air, grey water and sewage on site, and use healthy materials (eg rammed earth instead of 
fired brick). They aim to be impact neutral (not net positive).
Resource transfer
 
analysis
would map inequitable transfers of resources over time in a region (eg 
from poor to rich, rural to urban or public to private), in order to determine inequities that a new 
development might help to reverse or compensate for.