CONTENTS List of illustrations xi Preface xiii About the editors xx Part 1 Introduction 1 1.Why susutainability assessment? 3 2.The changing theory of impact assessment 18 Part 2 Sustainability assessment: pluralism35 3.Challenges in determining the effectiveness of sustainability assessment 37 4.Contested time horizons 51 5.Contested spatiality: geographical scale in sustainability assessment 68 6.Legal pluralism: notions of standing and legal process constraining assessment 85 7.Pluralism in practice 100 Part 3 Sustainability assessment: practice 115 8.Framework for comparing and evaluating sustainability assessment practice 117 9.Sustainability assessment in England 132 10.Learning by doing : sustainability assessment in Western Australia 149 11.Sustainability assessment in Canada 167 12.Sustainability assessment in South Africa 184 Part 4 Solutions? 197 13.Better engagement 199 14.Better learning 216 15.Designing an effective sustainability assessment process 231 16.Integrating sustainability assessment into planning: benefits and challenges 245 17.Conclusions 263 Index 271