Continuity is the notion that sustainable design creates connections to the natural and historical features of a place. With the notion of continuity, we respect the history and character of a place and we add to it rather than replacing it. This is the norm in rural areas, where homes and farms stay in families for generations, and in European cities, where old buildings are rehabilitated over centuries of changing uses. We can make strides towards continuity by building with quality materials that will last for generations, by paying careful attention to the maintenance of buildings, and by designing build ings and places for multiple uses, rather than specialized shells that must be demolished when their use becomes obsolete. Uniqueness of each building or place is one natural result of continuity.
Uniqueness is sustainable design's response to the globalization of culture and buildings.
Today, it is possible to fly to an airport on any continent, stay in a Hilton hotel, eat at a McDonald's, and never realise that you have left home. Our culture and our architecture with it, is becoming similar around the world, resulting in the loss of diversity that makes places special. Sustainable design looks for the unique characteristics of a place and enhances them. Placemaking refers to a process through which the places we create are unique and true livable. Much of today's American development not only lacks continuity and uniqueness, it is also just downright unpleasant to be in.