Mounting evidence reveals that the existing scale of human enterprise has already surpassed global ecological limits to growth. This ecological reality clearly counteracts the possibility of continued exponential growth in the twenty-first century. In the absence of international, national, or state initiatives to implement a no-growth imperative founded on ecological limits, this book takes the position that local communities have an obligation to take the lead in promoting a new politics of sustainability directed at recognizing and accepting the need for a societal shift to a state of no growth. The No Growth Imperativeprovides rationales and strategies for ending inherently unsustainable economic and urban practices within local jurisdictions. It describes the social, political, economic, and physical features of the sustainable communities envisioned for bringing about this shift. The book concludes with an examination of current movements which indicate that prospects for realizing sustainable, no-growth communities are far more likely than might initially be imagined. The book's focus on community options for stopping untenable growth in local settings, via the implementation of a no-growth imperative, offers a new path to sustainability.