Building Cities to LAST presents the myriad issues of sustainable urbanism in a clear and concise system, and supports holistic thinking about sustainable development in urban environments by providing four broad measures of urban sustainability: Lifecycle, Aesthetics, Scale, and Technology (LAST).

Building Cities to LAST presents the myriad issues of sustainable urbanism in a clear and concise system, and supports holistic thinking about sustainable development in urban environments by providing four broad measures of urban sustainability that differ radically from other, less long-lived patterns: these are Lifecycle, Aesthetics, Scale, and Technology (LAST). This framework for understanding the relationship between these four measures and the essential types of infrastructure-grouped according to the basic human needs of Food, Shelter, Mobility, and Water-is laid out in a simple and easy-to-understand format. These broad measures and infrastructures address the city as a whole and as a recognizable pattern of human activity and, in turn, increase the ability of cities-and the human race-to LAST. This book will find wide readership particularly among students and young practitioners in architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture.

"With the U.S. 40% (1900), 50% (1950) and shortly 80% urbanized, this topic and how we approach it is key. With little jargon, Jassen Callender did it - offering a high level yet gritty users guide that is not another checklist but deals with relationships and correlations to guide us into the future." -Pliny Fisk III, co-founder and co-director of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, First Annual Sacred Tree Award - USGBC, Solar Pioneer Year 2000 American Solar Energy Society, Advisor MacArthur, Gates, and Enterprise Foundations, and Emeritus Professor Texas A&M University "Finally (at last!), a book that presents a strong, interconnected framework for both breadth- and depth- thinking about how cities need to be designed in order to be healthier, durable, and long-lasting places. Building Cities to LAST presents refreshing and thoughtful guidance asking us to consider Life Cycle Analysis from the start, rather than at the end of the design process." -Alison G. Kwok, PhD, FAIA, LEED AP, CPHCUniversity of Oregon, co-author of The Green Studio Handbook and Passive House Details