Coming to grips with urban environmental quality in planning sustainable cities

Authors Rien van Stigt, Peter Driessen, Tejo Spit
Publication date 10 May 2017
Research groups Building Future Cities
Type Article

Summary

from the article: Abstract Based on a review of recent literature, this paper addresses the question of how urban planners can steer urban environmental quality, given the fact that it is multidimensional in character, is assessed largely in subjective terms and varies across time. The paper explores three questions that are at the core of planning and designing cities: ‘quality of what?’, ‘quality for whom?’ and ‘quality at what time?’ and illustrates the dilemmas that urban planners face in answering these questions. The three questions provide a novel framework that offers urban planners perspectives for action in finding their way out of the dilemmas identified. Rather than further detailing the exact nature of urban quality, these perspectives call for an approach to urban planning that is integrated, participative and adaptive. ; ; sustainable urban development; trade-offs; quality dimensions

Language English
Key words Urban Environment, urban environmental quality, urban quality of life, development, trade-offs, quality dimensions

Building Future Cities