As urbanism evolves in the 21^st century, the role of economic growth in sustainable development is being rebalanced. As Theodore Panayotou, author of Economic Growth and Empowerment, argues, in the past, efforts for economic growth were seen as the common sense catalyst for social development. As evident by the development patterns since the Era of Imperialism, economic growth often fails to take into account the unique factors of each society. This negligence often leads to the opposite of the intended impact. New thinking shows that for more effective development, the fundamentals of sustainability must be taken into account. Economic growth is still a manipulator of the development, but should be balanced with environmental conservation and social equitability. Panayotou highlights specific research that correlates economic growth with and unequal distribution of air pollution among certain income levels. This type of economic-focused development leads to an unhealthy income-environment relationship. Environmental degradation often correlates with efforts to increase economic growth. Recovery efforts to deal with pollution are costly and resource-intensive. However, they are still necessary. A better understanding of the impact of economic and social growth on the environment is, however slowly, leading to more sustainable development patterns. Cities in developing countries have opportunities that developed cities lack. Many see the modern development of urban areas in Southeast Asia and South America as opportunities. These urban areas are fortunate to learn from the mistakes of the past. These urban areas are likely to enjoy a future in which development allows for improvements in the resiliency of environments while seeing quality of life and economic opportunities grow steadily. This advantage will inevitably lead to a restructuring of urban areas around the globe as the sustainable city powerful city.