A Conceptual Model for Sustainable Urban Development of Inner City Areas

Abstract

Urban design has become essential to the process of solving cities' problems and urban redevelopment. The
challenge of urban development project is to devise programmes based on clear understanding of local
conditions and the affected people. With good management, incorporating community participation into the
planning and design process can be useful as a way of opening up the discussion of the issues that may not
otherwise be considered. This would increase the chances of creating successful sustainable urban design.
Urban Design being an integral part of urban development has often advocated participatory approaches
responsible for creating an environment that satisfies, informs and inspires it users.
The central objective to which this paper addresses itself is to recognise successful urban development in a
sustainable way. The paper postulates a view that the involvement of users in a project process and
identifying project's objectives would be a key to make an urban design project successful. Accordingly this
paper considers the urban design practices that might serve as models for sustainable urban development.
More specifically, the paper intends to propose a model, from an urban planning and design perspective, the
main factors that make an improvement of urban environment successful. The model is designed so as to
promote that the improvement of urban environment in a way that respects the needs of the people in the
context of its implementation. It further gives directions to the involvement of an affected community in
identifying the development goals and objectives as a key to successfully transform the urban space.