Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on urban sustainability with the objective of drawing more attention to the social aspect of sustainability in urban planning. Given that social capital is a crucial component of moving towards more progressive smart cities and urban innovation, it is important to investigate the social dimension of sustainability and the opportunities that just cities can bring to improve the quality of life for urban dwellers. This paper is divided into three sections. The initial section provides an introduction to urban sustainability, discussing the historical roots of sustainability and sustainable development ideas, the three fundamental elements of sustainability, and the process of defining and measuring sustainability in an urban setting. Moving on to the second section, it delves into the body of work related to linking urban sustainability with urban strategies. The third section finally addresses the emergence of literature on just sustainability and just cities, which can give valuable insights to city policymakers who are trying to improve balanced sustainability