Celles qui existent aujourd'hui se placent encore dans la perspective des associations socialistes utopiques du XIX si cle.
Human settlements are in crisis in both the North and the South, but for different reasons.
In a larger sense, the human settlements crisis is part of the greater issue of a planet experiencing the limits to growth. There is a growing consensus, reflected, for example, in the Brundtland Report, and at Rio, that we have to learn to live sustainably if we are to survive as a species. Assisting in the exchange of information amongst the settlements. Making information widely available about eco-village concepts and demonstration sites. The Eco-Village Network relates directly to this commitment, it is a tool for implementing Agenda 21 on the ground.