Sustainable urbanism is both the study of cities and the practices to build them (urbanism), that focuses on promoting their long term viability by reducing consumption, waste and harmful impacts on people and place while enhancing the overall well-being of both people and place. Well-being includes the physical, ecological, economic, social, health and equity factors, among others, that comprise cities and their populations. In the context of contemporary urbanism, the term cities refers to several scales of human settlements from towns to cities, metropolises and mega-city regions that includes their peripheries / suburbs / exurbs. Sustainability is a key component to professional practice in urban planning and urban design along with its related disciplines landscape architecture, architecture, and civil and environmental engineering. Green urbanism and ecological urbanism are other common terms that are similar to sustainable urbanism, however they can be construed as focusing more on the natural environment and ecosystems and less on economic and social aspects. Also related to sustainable urbanism are the practices of land development called Sustainable development, which is the process of physically constructing sustainable buildings, as well as the practices of urban planning called smart growth or growth management, which denote the processes of planning, designing, and building urban settlements that are more sustainable than if they were not planned according to sustainability criteria and principles.
The origin of the term sustainable urbanism has been attributed to Professor Susan Owens of Cambridge University in the UK in the 1990s, according to her doctoral student and now professor of architecture Phillip Tabb. The first university graduate program named Sustainable Urbanism was founded by professors Michael Neuman and Phillip Tabb at Texas A&M University in 2002. There are now dozens of university programs with that name worldwide.
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
We are living in an urban world and the design of sustainable cities is essential in order to decrease our energy footprint. This course provides the instruments to understand the complex urban metabo
The studio examines the effects of artificial intelligence on architecture and cities. We explore data-driven design processes by the use of algorithmic and parametric tools that take into considerat
The studio examines the effects of artificial intelligence on architecture and cities. We explore data-driven design processes by the use of algorithmic and parametric tools that take into considerati
A zero-carbon city is a goal of city planners that can be variously defined. In a narrower sense of energy production and use, a zero-carbon city is one that generates as much or more carbon-free sustainable energy as it uses. In a broader sense of managing greenhouse gas emissions, a zero-carbon city is one that reduces its carbon footprint to a minimum (ideally 0 or negative) by using renewable energy sources; reducing all types of carbon emissions through efficient urban design, technology use and lifestyle changes; and balancing any remaining emissions through carbon sequestration.
The compact city or city of short distances is an urban planning and urban design concept, which promotes relatively high residential density with mixed land uses. It is based on an efficient public transport system and has an urban layout which – according to its advocates – encourages walking and cycling, low energy consumption and reduced pollution. A large resident population provides opportunities for social interaction as well as a feeling of safety in numbers and "eyes on the street".
Green urbanism has been defined as the practice of creating communities beneficial to humans and the environment. According to Timothy Beatley, it is an attempt to shape more sustainable places, communities and lifestyles, and consume less of the world's resources. Urban areas are able to lay the groundwork of how environmentally integrated and sustainable city planning can both provide and improve environmental benefits on the local, national, and international levels.
Learn about the principles of management of urban infrastructures in the era of Smart Cities. The introduction of Smart urban technologies into legacy infrastructures has already resulted and will con
Learn about the principles of management of urban infrastructures in the era of Smart Cities. The introduction of Smart urban technologies into legacy infrastructures has already resulted and will con
Learn about the principles of management of urban infrastructures in the era of Smart Cities. The introduction of Smart urban technologies into legacy infrastructures has already resulted and will con
Explores urban sustainability assessment, focusing on decision-making for sustainable cities through approaches, solution spaces, and indicator selection.
The dynamic landscape of sustainable smart cities is witnessing a signi ficant transformation due to the integration of emerging computational technologies and innovative models. These advancements are reshaping data -driven planning strategies, practices, ...
Emerging smarter eco-cities, inherently intertwined with environmental governance, function as experimental sites for testing novel technological solutions and implementing environmental reforms aimed at addressing complex challenges. However, despite sign ...
Elsevier2024
Understanding visual complexity of urban environments may improve urban design strategies and limit visual pollution due to advertising, road signage, telecommunication systems and machinery. This paper aims at quantifying visual complexity specifically in ...