The experience of implementing approaches of the green economy as an interaction and mutual influence between urban civilization and the biosphere is discussed. Sustainable urban development, based on the principles of a green economy, leads to an increase in human well-being in the long term, while not exposing future generations to significant environmental risks. The issue of sustainable development is being actively studied since currently the welfare of mankind is more and more determined by the quality of life in cities. In the future, the gap in numbers between urban and rural populations will only grow, and an increasing part of the world population will be represented by residents of urban areas. Sustainable urban development is understood as the ability of the urban environment to change, satisfying subsequent generations of residents in terms of security, convenience of living and activities, communications, logistics, infrastructure, architecture and design, with minimal costs for multiple transformations. European countries such as Sweden, Denmark and others show an increase in public investment in infrastructure consistent with the principles of sustainable development (including public transport, renewable energy, construction of energy-efficient buildings) and natural capital; Existing models for implementing the principles of the green economy and the practice of their implementation in Europe have shown that Russia needs social strategies designed to ensure alignment between social goals and existing or proposed economic strategies.