Report Title

Urban form Sustainability & Urban

Design Dimensions

Student Name: Ari Ramazan

Class: 4-A

Course Title: Urban Design

Department: Architectural Engineering

College of Engineering

Salahaddin University-Erbil

Academic Year 2019-2020

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 ABSTRACT

In the last century, the tendency of population and economical

activities to become dense in urban areas has led to expansion into rural
areas and the decrease of land uses in proportion to population density.
This expansion has caused many problems such as non-economic use of
urban substructure investments, increase of energy consumption amount
and distance/time unit in trips within the city, transformation of many
agricultural areas into urban areas and extravagant consumption of limited
resources. This process makes it necessary to re-discuss urban regions with
regard to sustainability principles. The spatial reflections of these
discussions raise issues including urban development and macro form
decisions, function area distribution, transportation systems, settlement
size, and population density distribution decisions.

This paper identifies sustainable urban forms and their design

concepts. This paper also determines seven design concepts related to
sustainable urban forms: compactness, sustainable transport, and density,
mixed land uses, diversity, passive solar design, and greening. Moreover, it
identifies four types of sustainable urban forms: the nontraditional
development, the urban containment, the compact city, and the eco-city.
Finally, this article proposes a Matrix of Sustainable Urban Form to help in
assessing the contribution of different urban forms to sustainability.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

i. Abstract ………………………………………………...... 2
ii. Table of Contents ……………………………………….. 3
1. Introduction …………………………………………………… 4
1.1. Urban Form & Sustainability …………………….. 4
1.2. Urban Design …………………………………… 4
1.3. Sustainable Urbanism …………………………… 5c
2. Background & Review ………………………………… T
3. Methodology …………………………………………….. 8
4. Design & Theory ………………………………………... 9
7c
4.1. Vitality of Public Spaces………………………….. 9
T
12 4.2. Urban Design Dimensions …………………........... 10
4.3. Functional Dimension Influence on the vitality of
public spaces
4.4. Effects of implementing principles of sustainable
urban form
5. Conclusion ………………………………………………. 17
6. References ……………………………………………….. 18
13
c

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 INTRODUCTION

1.1. Urban Form & Sustainability

Urban form can defined as the physical structure and organization
of cities. In other words, the definition of urban form include the
pattern of development in an urban area, including aspects such as
urban density; the use of land (residential, commercial, industrial or
institutional). Sustainable development and urban sustainability has
seen a significant interest by the scientific community and a debate
has ensued about the impact of urban form. There is a growing
literature on the issues. Some of these studies investigate the
physical dimensions of urban form such as the transportation system
and urban design features and land use patterns. The conclusions of
this debate about the sustainability of urban forms has focused on
increasing the density of development, ensuring a mix of uses,
containing urban ‘sprawl’ and achieving social and economic
diversity and vitality– characterized as the concept of a ‘compact
city’.

1.2. Urban Design

The notion of urban design has fluctuated from the modernist architectural
conception of the city to the post-modern problematic effect of the negative
space. Traditionally, urban design has been conceived as a discourse
in architecture focusing on the design of the city as an object. From
Daniel Burnham’s City Beautiful movement to Ebenezer Howard’s Garden

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Cities, from Corbusier’s Plan Voisin to Wright’s Broadacre City, the
solution to urban problems were found in redesigning the spatial order of
urban morphology. Post-modern critical thinking, in recent literature,
questions the design dominance and calls for understanding complex
relationships of politics, economics, sociology, behavior, and environment
embedded in the urban context. Some urban designers Defining Sustainable
Urbanism: towards a responsive urban design. King Saud university -
College of Architecture and Planning 26 have addressed this post-modern
urban problem by studying environment and human behavior, celebrating
the market driven quotidian and everyday needs, examining economic-
political nexus as a growth machine, or embracing diversity in grassroots
level participation towards communicative action.

1.3. Sustainable Urbanism

Sustainable urbanism has recently been defined as “walkable and transit-

served urbanism integrated with high performance buildings and high-
performance infrastructure. Compactness (density) and biophilia (human
access to nature) are considered as the core values of sustainable
urbanism. These associated values of sustainable urbanism focuses on
the form-based bias of the current architectural theories and practices for
understanding sustainability. Conceiving the city in terms of form is
neither necessary nor sufficient to achieve the goals ascribed to
sustainable development. Instead, conceiving sustainability and the city in
terms of process holds more promise in attaining the elusive goal of a
sustainable urbanism.

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 Figure 1.1: The three rings of sustainability illustrate interdependence
of the elements in the traditional model of sustainability.

1.4. Philosophy of Sustainability

Sustainability is a debate of our way of life. A discussion on philosophy of

sustainability stands on two specific questions related to its meaning—(1)
what is sustainability? And (2) how have we come to think about it in a
certain way? Through these questions, exploring an understanding of
sustainability that is broad, comprehensive, interpretive, and process
oriented is possible. It is suggested that rethink our ecological relationship,
the relationship of human life to “nature,” to other forms of life, and the
relationship to one other. Sustainability thus can be imagined as a
systems approach of relationships. Sustainability, in the ecological
model, can draw from at least five intellectual traditions. They are capacity,
fitness, resilience, diversity, and balance.

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 BACKGROUND & REVIEW
With climate change high on the political agenda, there is renewed
attention for sustainable cities as an area where environmental stakes are
high. The relation be-tween the lay-out of a city, its urban form, and its
environmental performance of-ten is a subject of heated controversy. Some
see the compact city as the silver bullet solution; others do not. On one
hand the clean logic that a compact city with a high mix of functions has
less of a negative impact on its environment than a dispersed mono-
functional city might seem very attractive. On the other hand, it has never
been convincingly confirmed with empirical data. Moreover, if policy
makers keep on focusing on achieving the compact city as they do
now, they ignore the current situation in cities with an ever increasing
percentage of single family homes lined along road infrastructure as a
reflection of what the market wants.

One point all actors agree upon however is that there is a relationship
between urban form and the environmental impact of a city. How this
relation exactly is remains the key question. This paper gives an overview
of the main typologies of urban and how they can be related to different
design concepts of urban forms that are distinguished, in other words how
their connection will be made between to the environmental performance.
The paper also tries to give a brief overview of how urban form is
mentioned in several policy documents followed by an analysis of the
compact city and the un-resolved issues surrounding this urban form. The
paper ends with conclusions about the role of urban form in promoting
sustainable development.
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 METHODS

Descriptive Methodology
The method of research used for this report is primarily a descriptive
one that looks into different types of gathering information. Through this
method I was able to look into already existing information, opinions and
motivations from research papers, books, and articles that provided insight
into answering the “what” of the report subject. The study was based on a
descriptive and interpretive approach as follows:

 Firstly, this paper begins with relating urban form to sustainability.

 Secondly, study of vitality of open space and how it is influenced by
functional dimension of urban design.
 Thirdly, study of different design concepts of sustainable urban
form.
 Fourthly, creation of a sustainable urban form matrix to assess the
sustainability of urban form.

 Fifthly, writing a conclusion based on the analyzed results of the

study.

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 THEORY & DESIGN

4.1. Public Space

Public spaces could be defined as 'physical spaces that, in the ideal, are
open to all people for the exercise of their rights. Hence, public spaces are a
part of the society itself where it is 'the stage where the drama of communal
life unfolds. In other words, public spaces could be interpreted as domains
which are accessible for everyone in a society to congregate giving a
platform for interaction between people of diverse social background.
Regardless of the social and spatial composition of the urban setting, public
spaces have always played a crucial role in everyday life. These spaces
have been regarded as the connective tissue of a city, providing 'access to
and connections between all the functions of the city. Public spaces have
also been regarded as the "key to urban renewal strategies" which are
apparent in most urban design approaches. This means that the public
spaces are one of the important factors that contribute to the rejuvenation of
an urban structure. Therefore, it could be concluded that public spaces are
vital in order for continuity of urban life.

4.2. Vitality of Public Spaces

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A simple definition of vitality from the Oxford dictionary is 'the state of
being strong and active Vitality in terms of urban spaces could also be
described as:

It (vitality) refers to the numbers of people in and around the street

(pedestrian flows) across different times of the day and night, the uptake of
facilities, the number of cultural events and celebrations over the year, the
presence of an active street life, and generally the extent to which a place
feels alive or lively.

The excerpt above refers to vitality in the wider urban context, which
includes streets and, buildings as well as public spaces. It could be
concluded from urban vitality concept that vitality refers to the density
level or liveliness of the city space. This liveliness is a result of several
influences such as the provision of facilities, events occurring in the area,
activities being held, the desirability as well as the mixed-use nature of the
spaces. Applying this concept to the research topic at hand, the vitality of
public spaces could be described as the amount of people that populates the
space and the liveliness of the spaces at any particular time.

4.3. Urban Design Dimensions

There are many ways in which an urban setting can be analyzed such as
visual, perceptual, or social perspectives and so forth. For example, Krier,
defined that urban space is 'all types of space between buildings' and this
'space ' will 'consciously be perceived as urban space ' when there is 'clear
legibility of its geometrical characteristics and aesthetic qualities'. Through

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this definition, Krier's concept of urban setting leans more towards physical
structure.

On the other hand, Lynch's approach is by analyzing the physical

environment to obtain the perceptual structure of an urban space. He
defined several physical elements that constitute the legibility and
imageability of a city. Hence, Lynch's theory of urban structure is based on
the socket/s mental image of their city.

The dimension of urban design could be categorized into six distinct

elements, which are morphological, perceptual, social, visual, functional
and temporal. These dimensions will help in placing the case studies into
an urban context and understanding how the dimensions have an effect on
the vitality of the public spaces.

The fast paced urbanizing of cities requires that clear guideline is needed to
ensure the consistency of the design value. Hence, public spaces within an
urban setting also requires careful analysis in order for us to design public
spaces that are in societal solidarity rather than being fragmented as a result
of privatization of activities.

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 Figure 4.1: Conceptualization of the relationship
of the vitality of public spaces and the urban
design.

4.4. Functional
Dimension Influence on the Vitality of Public Spaces

The functional dimension in urban design involves 'how places work and
how designers can make "better" places'. A functional space will be able to
serve the need of the users. Quoting Carmona et al, from his book, the 'five
primary needs people seek: comfort, relaxation, passive engagement with
environment, active engagement with environment and discover.

There are two segments of the functional dimension; one is 'social usage '
which involves the relationship between people and the functioning of the
environment, secondly is the 'visual ' tradition which involves technical
criteria such as traffic flow, access and circulation.

In conclusion, the functional dimension relates to the design considerations

that have been implemented to create an environment which is conducive
to the everyday life of society. This could be in the form of infrastructure,
environmental considerations, safety measures and so forth.

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Figure 4.2: Vibrant environment in the bazar. Figure 4.3: General view of Qalat
Street.

4.5. Effects of Implementing Sustainable Principles on an Urban Form

1. Compactness
Compactness of the built environment is a widely acceptable
strategy through which more sustainable urban forms might be
achieved. Compactness also refers to urban contiguity (and
connectivity), which suggests that future urban development
should take place adjacent to existing urban structure. When
the concept is applied to existing rather than new urban fabric,
it refers to the containment of further sprawl, rather than the
reduction of the present sprawl. Compactness of urban space can
minimize transport of energy, water, materials, products, and
people.

2. Sustainable Transport
Sustainable transportation” is defined as “transportation
services that reflect the full social and environmental costs of their
provision; that respect carrying capacity; and that balance the
needs for mobility and safety with the needs for access,
environmental quality, and neighborhood livability. A sustainable
urban transportation system limits emissions and waste to within the
area’s ability to absorb; is powered by renewable energy sources,
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 recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land; provides
equitable access for people and their goods and helps achieve a
healthy and desirable quality of life in each generation; and is
financially affordable, operates at maximum efficiency, and
supports a vibrant economy.

3. Density
Density is a critical typology in determining sustainable urban
forms. It is the ratio of people or dwelling units to land area. The
relationship between density and urban character is also based on
the concept of viable thresholds: at certain densities
(thresholds), the number of people within a given area becomes
sufficient to generate the interactions needed to make urban
functions or activities viable. In a wider sense, sustainable cities are
a matter of density. Density and dwelling type affect
sustainability through differences in the consumption of energy;
materials; and land for housing, transportation, and urban
infrastructure. High density and integrated land use not only
conserve resources but provide for compactness that encourages
social interaction.

4. Mixed Land Uses

Mixed-use zoning allows compatible land uses to locate in
close proximity to one another and thereby decrease the travel
distances between activities . Mixed land use indicates the
diversity of functional land uses such as residential, commercial,
industrial, institutional, and those related to transportation.

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 Mixed land use reduces the probability of using a car for
commuting, shopping, and leisure trips, since jobs, shops, and
leisure facilities are located nearby. Mixing uses ensures that
many services are within a reasonable distance, thus
encouraging cycling or walking. In addition, mixed use of
space can renew life in many parts of the city and in turn enhance
security in public spaces for disadvantaged groups.
5. Diversity
Diversity of activity is essential to the sustainability of cities.
Diverse development contains a mixture of land uses, building and
housing types, architectural styles, and rents. If development is not
diverse, then homogeneity of built forms often produces
unattractive, monotonous urban landscapes, a lack of housing for all
income groups, class and racial segregation, and job-housing
imbalances that
Lead to increased driving, congestion, and air pollution.

6. Passive Solar Design

Passive solar design is central to achieving a sustainable urban
form. Generally, the idea of this design is to reduce the demand for
energy and to provide the best use of passive energy in
sustainable ways through specific design measures. This design
affects the form of the built environment through, for example, the
orientation of buildings and urban densities. It is assumed that
design, siting, orientation, layout, and landscaping can make the
optimum use of solar gain and microclimatic conditions to

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 minimize the need for space heating or cooling of buildings by
conventional energy sources.

7. Greening
Greening of the city, or green urbanism, appears to be an
important design concept for the sustainable urban form. Green
space has the ability to contribute positively to some key agendas in
urban areas, including sustainability. Greening seeks to embrace
nature as integral to the city itself and to bring nature into the life of
city dwellers through a diversity of open landscapes.
There are many other benefits from greening urban spaces
(1) contributions to maintenance of biodiversity through the
conservation and enhancement of the distinctive range of urban
habitats (2) reducing pollution, moderating the extremes of the
urban climate, and contributing to cost-effective sustainable urban
drainage systems (3) contributions to improve the image of the
urban area; (4) improvement of the urban image and quality of life;
and (5) increasing the economic attractiveness of a city and
fostering community pride. Greening also has health benefits and
an educational function as a symbol or representation of nature.
Finally, greening aims also to preserve and enhance the ecological
diversity of the environment of urban places.

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Table 4.1: Sustainable urban form matrix: Assessing the sustainability of urban form.

CONCLUSION
The study highlighted that there are many approaches that aim to achieve
sustainable urban forms. Different approaches use different scales of
concepts, as well as emphasizing some concepts over others. In
practice, many local governments, planning consultants, landscape
architects, and so on are grappling much more specifically with aspects
of sustainable urban form through a variety of planning and design
approaches and policies. The question is, which form is the most
sustainable and environmentally sound?

According to the sustainable urban form matrix, this paper concludes that
different urban forms contribute differently to sustainability. Moreover,
different planners and scholars may develop different combinations of
design concepts to achieve sustainable development goals. They might
come with different forms, where each form emphasizes different
concepts. However, all should be forms that environmentally contribute
beneficially to the planet for the present and future generations.

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The ideal sustainable urban form according to the design concepts of
sustainable urban form is that which has a high density and adequate
diversity, compact with mixed land-uses, and its design is based on
sustainable transportation, greening, and passive solar energy.
Ultimately, sustainable urban forms aim to achieve different objectives.
The most prominent among them are decreased energy use, reduced
waste and pollution, reduced automobile use, preservation of open
space and sensitive ecosystems, and livable and community-oriented
human environments.

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