%0 Journal Article
%T The Unsustainable City
%A Matthias Berger
%J Sustainability
%D 2014
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/su6010365
%X ˇ°Make cities more sustainableˇ± is an omnipresent slogan in architecture and urban planning. This article is a discussion on theoretical and practical boundaries of using the expression ˇ°sustainabilityˇ± with respect to the scientific community, therefore avoiding sustainability becoming a euphemism for ˇ°doing goodˇ±. By definition, it can be concluded, cities developed as counterparts to the hinterland and, therefore, they axiomatically should be and are as a matter of fact unsustainable. Furthermore, sustainability is a binary, not a gradual concept. Something is either sustainable or not. Aiming to increase the sustainability is consequently a sham battle. It would be necessary to change our perception to acknowledge that cities should be unsustainable in order to become efficient, seen from a global perspective including the hinterland.
%K cities
%K land-use
%K perception
%K sustainable development
%K unsustainability
%K urban planning
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/1/365