In this highly original report, Jonathan Essex points out the little appreciated importance of restricting development of the built environment as an essential component of any true sustainability. Construction produces huge emissions and other ecological damage in itself. But it also literally builds greater consumption into our lifestyles; bigger houses mean both more and bigger televisions for example. Improving the efficiency of appliances is almost irrelevant faced with this pressure for expansion. Essex's report in particular challenges green champions of greater infrastructure expenditure to think again.