The NOW dilemma

Energy efficiency has found its place at the very core of the discussion in Architecture and Urban Planning. Research & Development, Political Agendas and Education Curriculums are increasingly driven by the need to reach a fair balance between the way we inhabit the world and the energy we require for it. After many decades neglecting this discussion a growing awareness about the carrying capacity of our environment is being brought to actual policies on the built environment. The dominant tendency today privileges economic growth, thus being the maximization of performed labor per energy unit its ultimate goal. Renewal energy sources and energy efficiency are means for, on the one hand, an alternative to finite fossil fuel sources and, on the other hand, the optimization in the use of energy. Very little attention has been paid, however, to a more profound paradigm shift in economy. Some authors, however, have also claimed replacing the myth of economic growth by a more steady-state development as a solution for the current sustainability conundrum. The question is whether withholding the use of energy might be an alternative to its hi-tech optimization. Some of the contemporary authors who have discussed the issue in recent energy crisis are recounted here for a wider and holistic understanding of the problem.Peer Reviewe