This book focuses on traditional urban and rural environments and the wide range of players whose interacting activities are helping to preserve or destroy them. The key issues facing urban and rural communities include - Establishing appropriate overall environmental governance involving collaboration and competition among different actors - Creating and preserving a rich and lively living environment - Searching for ways to ensure the inheritance of our greatest assets for future generations Using theory, methodology, and case studies, the authors explain how to use the concept of urban and rural sustainability as a guide when establishing or improving policy measures or community activities. The book presents examples of multilayer environmental governance and key academic findings and considers interactions between humans and nature--such as local resource management through the commons--as well as rural-urban interdependence.