Sustainable development is about meeting today's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. For Habitat II this means human settlements which meet the economic and social needs of their inhabitants and visitors while reducing damage to the environment to levels that do not endanger longer term viability. The focus of this national agenda is on the UK's urban areas. Its purpose is to record what is actually being done and what is planned to improve the quality of life in cities, towns and villages in ways which are consistent with the aims of sustainable development.