The urban environment : twenty-sixth report

This Report from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution examines the 'environmental footprint' of our towns and cities in the light of the government's Regional Spatial Strategies and the Sustainable Communities Plan, which will usher in a building boom that will shape the UK's built environment for centuries to come.

The Report looks at the current context, with particular attention to urban expansion and regeneration.

The Royal Commission also looks at environmental issues, including: tackling carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas; the role of the environment in health and wellbeing; maximising community benefits of the natural environment; and creating green infrastructure.

The Commission concludes that the success of the project depends on getting the framework right, seeing a specific need for: public policy to promote the environmental component of sustainable development; and incentives and information to raise environmental standards over time.

The Report also finds that any new infrastructure should contribute to environmental sustainability.