Book excerpt: Based on original research, this first volume of a set of groundbreaking new books sets out a framework for analyzing sustainable urban development and develops a set of protocols for evaluating the sustainability of urban development.Protocols included are for sustainable urban planning, urban property development, urban design, the construction, operation and use of buildings. Using these protocols, the book goes on to provide a directory of environmental assessment methods for evaluating the sustainability of urban development and also maps out how these assessment methods are bei.