Melbourne Principles: Respect for people and nature

The Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities are the product of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) International Workshop on Building Urban Ecosystems held in Melbourne in 2002. The principles aim to assist cities wishing to achieve sustainable development and provide 10 simple statements on how a sustainable city must function, followed by an elaborate description, providing additional information on its meaning and application. Over 40 municipal and civic representatives from around the world contributed to the preparation of the Principles. The Melbourne Principles were then adopted at the Local Government Session of the Earth Summit 2002 in Johannesburg, and became part of the final communiqué, known as Local Action 21 or the Johannesburg Call.

The vision promoted by the Melbourne Principles is to create environmentally healthy, vibrant and sustainable cities where people respect one another and nature, to the benefit of all. Thereby the principles are not a fixed framework for sustainability, but assist elected local government officials in understanding the implications of decisions taken at the council level, at a broad strategic level.

The Melbourne Principles hence designed to provide a starting point for decision-makers on the journey towards sustainability, offering to guide their thinking on sustainable city development, presenting a holistic approach to making cities sustainable. The principles also include a framework to strengthen links and cooperation on international, regional and country level, as well as a framework for building programs and engaging communities.The idea of the Melbourne Principles is to be flexible enough to be adopted by cities around the world.