Sustainable Development and Planning III contains the proceedings of the Third International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, to be held on Algarve, Portugal, April 25-27, 2007. In recent years, in many countries there has been, an increase in spatial problems that has led to planning crisis. Planning problems often connected with uneven development, deterioration of the quality of urban life and destruction of the environment. The increasing urbanisation of the world coupled with global issues of the environmental pollution, resource shortage and economic restructuring demand that we make our cities places worth living in.
Problems of environmental management and planning are not restricted to urban areas. Environments such as rural areas, forests, coastal regions and mountains face their own problems that require urgent solutions in order to avoid irreversible damages. The use of modern technologies in planning gives us new potential to monitor and prevent environmental degradation. Effective strategies for management should consider planning and regional development, two closely related disciplines, and emphasize the demand to handle these matters in an integrated way.
Containing the proceedings presented at the Third International conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, Sustainable Development and Planning III addresses the subjects of regional development in an integrated way as well as accordance with the principles of sustainability. Notable topics include: Regional Planning; City Planning; Rural Development; Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Management; Environmental Legislation and Policy; Integrated Territorial and Environmental Risk Analysis; Ecosystem Analysis; Protection and Remediation; Social and Cultural Issues; Environmental Economics; Geo-Informatics; Urban Landscapes; Transportation; Waste Management and Resources Management.