The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, to be held in Penang, Malaysia, follows the success of previous meetings which started in Skiathos, Greece (2003), and continued in Bologna, Italy (2005); the Algarve, Portugal (2007); Cyprus (2009); the New Forest, UK, home of the Wessex Institute (2011); Kos, Greece (2013) and the Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture in 2015.

It has become apparent that planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without comprising the ability of future generations.

Problems related to development and planning, which affect rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in deterioration of the environment and loss of quality of life. Urban development can also aggravate problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, amongst many others. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation of novel strategies, can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.

Energy saving and eco-friendly building approaches have become an important part of modern development, which places special emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning has a key role to play in ensuring that these solutions as well as new materials and processes are incorporated in the most efficient manner.

Sustainable Development and Planning 2016 aims to bring together scientists and other stakeholders from across the globe to discuss the latest scientific advances in the field.