Adaptation, transformation and transition: Approaches to the sustainability challenge

It is widely agreed that we have entered an era of increasing complexity, unprecedented levels of interaction and a poor record of solving fundamental problems or predicting the future. Yet, we continue to use the tools and conceptual frameworks of the past to address the challenges of the future. Albert Einstein is often attributed with having said, “One cannot solve problems thinking in the same manner that created them.” This is particularly true in the face of global climate change and the continuing process of rapid urbanization and integration of systems of cities across the globe.