Perceptual / Behavioural Barriers Institutional / Structural Barriers Economic, Financial, and Market Barriers National and Sub-National Barriers Overcoming Barriers General "We have increasingly recognized that the public sector has neither the financial nor the institutional resources to solve all the development challenges that countries face…. We used to see physical and financial capital as the critical inputs and constraints to development, now we see human and social capital as the limiting factor." The path towards sustainable cities often requires changes in our current practices and actions. It requires different social attitudes, long-term thinking, a different decision-making process etc. Considering all these issues, there are still a number of major obstacles that hinder the development of sustainable cities - even though it is getting more and more widely accepted that this is the only way to go in the long run. Implementing sustainable change can be a complex task with numerous organizations and competing issues involved. Some research has explored why sustainable urban development is difficult to achieve. However, it should be noted that different communities face different challenges as a result of different population structures, regulations, degrees of government stability, financial resources, human resources, and developmental stages. This section will examine some of the most important barriers to sustainable cities - as seen by various organizations. The following barriers to sustainability is a compilation of research findings from Jennie Moore, Nigel Richardson, and others. More information about these barriers may be obtained by following the source links provided at the end of the page.

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