Chapter 2: Achieving harmony between humanity and nature – urban underground sustainability

The concept of sustainability is often explained by the definition given in the report Our Common Future, written by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) and chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland. The concept itself is much older, and stems from the premise that our natural resources are limited. The English philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote, in his Principles of Political Economy (Mill, 1848),

Mill postulated a society that is able to develop in a way that does not deplete the natural resources, through a ‘stationary state’ enabling future generations to enjoy the Earth as much, or better, than the present generation. Sustainable development is therefore not just concerned with preserving resources, it should also be concerned with, as Mill wrote, ‘a better or happier population’. As the Brundtland Commission has stated: ‘In its broadest sense, the strategy for sustainable development aims to promote harmony among human beings and between humanity and nature’ (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).