In this article, sustainable development is defined in terms of thirty-nine policies and techniques. In October 2001, a survey was sent to U.S. cities that (1) measures the extent to which actions are being taken relative to these policies and techniques and to local planning offices being involved in the taking of such actions and (2) identifies the principal impediments to the taking of action. Among the findings were that communities of all sizes and in all parts of the country are active in a wide range of policies and techniques, planning offices are playing an important leadership role with respect to the adoption of such policies and techniques, and impediments to such adoption are less related to politics and institutional capacity and more to motivation and knowledge.

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Sustainability is a term that has received a significant amount of attention in the public policy arena. Within the planning profession, there has likewise been a growing recognition of its possible relevance in the areas of land use and general community development, and planners are increasingly finding themselves either leading or being expected to contribute to local “sustainable development” efforts. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to the sustainability framework in terms of its scientific basis and cultural interpretations and to identify and explore conceptual associations that tend to tie it to the planning profession.