PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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In the end, the fact that dominant notions about the economic development effects
of transport are changing has much to do with the fact that the very notion of
development is changing. Development is increasingly being understood as a concept
that cannot be understood simply in narrow economic terms, but needs to encompass
broader aspects including standards of living and the quality of the natural environment.
In short: instead of economic development, we need to focus on sustainable development.
The ensuing sections therefore present initial definitions of for the concepts of sustainable
development and sustainable transport.
2.3 “Sustainable Development”
The words ‘sustainability,’ ‘sustainable’ and ‘sustainable development’ have
become some of the most (ab)used terms of the last decades. The word sustainable first
appeared around 1727. Its original meaning related mostly to agriculture and forestry,
and can be defined as “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource
so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” 4
In this sense, it is a term
with deep roots in ecology. 5
Other definitions of sustainable are “something … able to be
continued in its present form” or, more relevant for our context, “a way of using natural
products so that no damage is caused to the environment.” 6
Etymologically, the word
sustain comes from the Old French sustenir and from the Latin sub-, from below, and
tenere, to hold. 7
Its broad etymological base also explains how the term can be used to
mean almost anything:
4 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, online version http://www.britannica.com
5 Beware of the all-too obvious pun.
6 Cambridge International Dictionary, online version http://dictionary.Cambridge.org
7 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.