Urban governance and sustainability are rapidly becoming key issues around the world and the EU is currently finalizing its Urban Thematic Strategy, which will guide European urban environmental policy for the next decade. Based on three years of field research in 40 European cities, this book is the first to empirically test the assumptions of the 'sustainability agenda', developed in Rio and embodied in Local Agenda/Action 21. These assumptions state that good governance is a necessary precondition for the achievement of sustainable development, particularly at the local level, and that the mobilization of local communities is an essential part of this process. This book examines the processes of urban governance in sustainable development and draws upon hard data to provide conclusions and direction for policy process, politicians, policy makers, activists, planners and academics in Europe, North America and world-wide.