The article considers the features of the development of modern cities from the point of view of the ecological approach. The main focus is on approaches within the framework of the implementation of sustainable development. Sustainable development is a new concept of scientific development, and sustainable development requires us to change not only the concept of economic development, but also the concept of social development. The development of the city as a social development and economic development is an important embodiment of the process of sustainable development, but also in the pursuit of the concept of innovation. The paper analyzes domestic and foreign literature within the framework of the research topic, as well as uses comparative, comparative and analytical methods. The author examines the main problems of city construction from the perspective of an ecological approach, based on the basic principles of ecological urban planning, the main content and ecological function of zoning, and also examines the ecological city and its relationship with sustainable development. Ecological cities are a necessary condition for the sustainable development of society. In the last few thousand years, the development of society has been based on the price of sacrificing the environment, where the main role belongs to cities as the core of human society. This is a rather negative development scenario that does not provide for long-term sustainability, as the potential of the environment is increasingly depleted. The current situation is becoming threatening, and if it is not changed, not only the survival and development of future generations will be under serious threat, but also modern man will be in a situation on the verge of survival. Thus, the process of building an ecological city will reverse this negative situation and will not only contribute to the provision of conditions for the normal life of the existing civilization, but also will protect future generations of people, that is, will contribute to sustainable social development. In turn, the sustainable development of society is to ensure the construction of an ecological city, and an integrated approach to this problem will allow achieving the harmonious development of ecological cities.