Utopian Plans for the Modern World: John Nolen, Lewis Mumford, and the Origins of Sustainability

Sustainability, as put forth in the Brutland Commission’s landmark report, Our Common Future, imposes “limits to growth” to ensure development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Grounded in urban planning, sustainability took root nearly a century ago in a set of regional plans John Nolen and Lewis Mumford put forth to limit growth and strike a balance between ecological relations and consumer demand. If their works were Utopian, they were also culled from the study of nature and history and they left a timeless legacy