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The concept of sustainable development continues to feature on the policy agenda, despite the lack of any precision in its definition. For example, within Europe sustainability is assuming a greater prominence in regional policy, as illustrated in the case of the European Union's Structural Funds, and in the European Commission's growing involvement with urban policy. In the latter case, notions of the sustainable city are being promoted as a means to integrate economic, social and environmental aims. While it is recognized that ‘it is in urban areas that the problems stemming from economic, social and demographic change, the over-consumption of energy and natural resources and the generation of waste and pollution and the risks from natural and technological disasters are concentrated’ (EC, 1998: 3), there is also a view that concentrating upon local responses at the level of urban areas is a key component of any movement towards sustainable development. In this context, this volume is a useful contribution to the debate over what constitutes a sustainable city (see European Urban and Regional Studies 6 (3) for a recent review of some of the issues). Rather than attempt to deal with the whole range of potential policy responses involved with sustainability, the focus within the book is upon energy use, with a particular emphasis upon the ‘central role played by renewable energy in cities as a key element in achieving sustainable urban development’ (p. 4). It is argued that energy consumption per capita and urban gross domestic product per capita need to be decoupled as a prerequisite for the longer term survival of cities, reflecting recent arguments that the eco-efficiency of economic activities needs to undergo a radical increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews the book `Nordic Region-Building in a European Perspective,' edited by Harald Baldersheim and Krister Stahlberg.