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

 
Glossary
New terms, and/or terms that in this book are used differently from standard usage, are in 
bold
.
Active solar systems
involve mechanical devices, such as solar cells (photovoltaics), energy storage 
units, and pumps or fans to operate heating and cooling systems. Active collectors are not part of 
the building itself. Combined passive and active solar systems can be cost-effective.
Biodiversity
means the variety of ecologically appropriate and indigenous species and ecosystems.
Biodiversity applies to genes, species and ecosystems. Urban areas can provide the habitats for 
endangered species and conditions required for ecosystem resilience. 
Bioregion
is a region whose often fluid and overlapping boundaries are defined by biophysical and 
cultural features (eg watersheds, deserts or rainforests). Bioregionalism would align social decision-
making systems with regions and cultures, rather than political jurisdictions.
Bioregional planning
is concerned with aligning economic and political systems around the region’s 
ecology and resources. It involves the community in envisioning and shaping the future. It does not 
usually involve examining inequitable resource transfers, however. 
Brain waste
refers to the fact that many potential geniuses have suffered brain damage from 
malnutrition or social deprivation due to maldevelopment. While innovation theories and tools 
multiply, the creativity of a third of the world’s population and their offspring is being lost.
Built environment
refers to the whole human-made context – infrastructure, landscapes, products, 
buildings, factories, cities, etc. Its design is reciprocally related to social relations, cultures and 
personal development, but the focus here is on physical spaces and structures.
Carbohydrate economy 
refers to the conversion to systems of production where carbohydrates replace 
hydrocarbons; in other words where vegetables – not minerals – supply fuel, materials, food and 
fibres.

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Positive Development
Carrying capacity
has usually been defined as the population of humans or other species that a natural 
area can support without reducing its ability to support that species into the future. It is argued here 
that cities can increase a region’s carrying capacity.
Chain-of-custody
, in the environmental labelling context, is where a product is tracked throughout the 
supply chain, so that consumers can be assured that all product components, materials or processes 
used in production meet relevant sustainability standards. 
Charrettes
are increasingly popular means of obtaining wide citizen input and setting goals for a 
community. Local citizens (with planners, artists, architects, developers, etc) can work together to 
develop visions and plans for their region or neighbourhood.
Cleaner production
is the minimization of resource usage and waste (heat, emissions, etc) for 
maximum material output in industrial processes through a variety of means, including technology, 
management and the plant itself.
Compound savings
result where a change in product or building design reduces resource usage and/or 
waste ‘upstream’ in the production system as well as in operation (eg a building using passive solar 
design principles can have a smaller heating plant or none at all).
Corporatism
is used here in a general way to describe where governments negotiate policies and their 
implementation with leading business and industry organizations. The term is sometimes used in a 
derogatory way from both left- and right-wing positions.