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

‘Reverse’ TDR (transferable development rights)
are where people or businesses acquire the right 
to develop part of their property (eg yard or roof) for, say, urban food production purposes or other 
eco-productive activity through purchase or a percentage of profits.
‘Reverse’ Trombe wall
operates like a conventional Trombe wall (see below), but glass is added to 
the exterior of masonry walls of old buildings to avoid sacrificing natural light and views. (Usually 
windows are sacrificed when Trombe walls or greenhouse windows are added.)
Rhizomatic approach
refers to the opposite of a non-hierarchical, reductionist, linear approach. It is 
based on an analogy to rhizomes, the underground portion of the plant from which roots and shoots 
grow, through the interaction of bacteria with the plant.
Solar resources
refer to organic materials and renewable energy power from the sun. The term ‘solar’ 
is a misnomer as fossil fuels ultimately derive from the sun, and wave power is mostly driven by the 
moon. In any case, the term ‘solar resource’ excludes nuclear and fossil fuels.
Sunk costs
are those costs already incurred and which cannot be retrieved. According to mainstream 
economic theory, it is not rational to continue to invest in unprofitable or inefficient systems. The 
idea is that decisions should be based on where one is now.
Sustainability
means that all future generations will inherit substantive environmental and democratic 
rights – control over the means of survival, an increased ecological base, and genuine social choice 
(not ‘substituted’ by manufactured capital).

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Glossary
Sustainability ombudsman
is an individual or group representing the interests of the natural 
environment (and other species and future generations) in the planning and decision-making process, 
as opposed to the short-term interests of immediate stakeholders).