1.27 By the year 2025, three quarters of the worlds population will live in cities, an inescapable trend that emphasises the need to develop a strategic plan that will deliver a sustainable urban environment.

1.28 In recent years, experience and research have given increased emphasis to the role of cities as the main focus for sustainable development. Many of the programme areas within Agenda 21 (following the principles of the Rio Declaration of Environment and Development 1992) directly concern cities and urban policies. These include the:

provision of adequate shelter for all;
improvement of human settlement management;
promotion of sustainable land use planning and management;
integrated provision of environmental infrastructure; and
development of sustainable energy resources and an integrated transport system.

1.29 There is a growing realisation that urban living is one of the most important mechanisms for a sustainable society. Current European Union Policy encourages cities to curtail urban sprawl and undertake a process of re-densification and re-connection by making maximum use of their urban territories. The Plan accommodates andencourages sustainable development and in doing so sets the context for enriching the City with new functions that complement its built, natural, and cultural heritage and help create a vibrant environment that is attractive to the City's residents, visitors and investors.