Abstract
At the beginning of the environmental revolution between (1960s, 1970s), damage to the natural system became a main concern. However, terms such as sustainability or sustainable development became more often mentioned only during the last decade, due to scientific evidence that excessive exploitation of natural resources in parallel to the ever-growing polluting agents would lead to irreversible environmental destruction. From a review of the literature relating to Sustainable architecture and its relation to sustainable urban development, this paper identifies the principles of sustainable architecture and urban planning and clarifies the role of the architectural designer in reducing the impact of buildings on the environment