Cradle to Cradle is a well-known sustainability concept introduced by Braungart and McDonough. It is a concept
about how a product can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide nourishment for
something new, thus 'waste equals food' (Braungart and McDonough, 2002). This eco-effective principle has been applied
widely in products development; however, it is less known in the urban planning discipline where sustainable development is
the main key word? in transforming the urban area. The question that this paper expands on is whether it is possible to apply
the Cradle to Cradle concept into urban planning practice. This article explains the difference between the eco-efficient
concept and the eco-effective concept and elaborate from there on a possibility to apply the Cradle to Cradle principle to
urban planning practice. It is shown that the Cradle to Cradle principle offers an instrument for bringing complex
sustainable concepts within reach of planning thinking and discussion, and for generating alternatives which may not
otherwise be given serious consideration.