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The immeasurably valuable ecosystems of the Earth are under threat. Both the source of and the potential solution to the global ecological decline can be traced to urban areas, where population and consumption concentrate to become the demand centres of the global economy. This dissertation casts a critical eye on the success of current urban planning policies in creating environmentally sustainable communities. Urban planning is generally intended to support sustainable lifestyles, but the targeted environmental improvements are limited to ground transportation and housing. The simultaneous creation of increasingly convenient and concentrated centres of consumption produces contrasting effects, and current strategies of urban regeneration carry a risk of actually increasing the environmental burden through the effects of increased consumption. A broader perspective on urban environmental sustainability is required in order to provide greater success in the promotion of sustainable development through urban planning. E ev a-S o fi a S äy n äj