Examining the way in which natural systems have arisen through the sun's influence, how humans have adapted to them and what today's urban planners can do to respond to the challenge of a sustainable world, this book outlines the need to reconsider how we organise our lives in terms of energy, technology and architecture. It goes on to illustrate the various natural cycles of which the sun is part. As the book explains, these include sustainable ecosystems, wind patterns, ocean currents, fossil fuels and the life cycles of animals. The various ways in which people have harnessed the sun's power in different parts of the world since neolithic times, the ancient civilization of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas is explained as well as to the present with those living in the tundras, the rainforests, savannas, deserts and in earth's comfort zones. It finally sets out exciting ways in which solar-oriented architecture can lead to energy-conscious buildings.