The objective of this work is to apply the concept of sustainable urban development to a real case of metropolitan development planning in a developing country. The ideas of integrated conservation are used as the framework for the formulation of strategies and action polices for the management of the metropolis. The paper explores the concepts of conservation and areas of transformation as well those of service networks and information. The work tries to present general concepts for new urban planning initiatives. However, it has a strong practical sense because it is based on the real application of the new concepts on the formulation of the Development Plan of the Recife Metropolitan Area.