Sustainable cities : the role of urban design in creating ‘people’s cities’

Abstract

Today some cities of western countries have experienced the signs of becoming less popular and in extreme cases, the people have abandoned them because of the mismatches of socio-economic aspirations, incompatible values and the absence of meaningful life. The feeling of frustration, distress and higher crime rates are apparent in those cities. The desires to socially interact, live safely, be an active part of the city, and stand for their identity are priorities of people at all time. In this, urban design involves with a vital role in creating environments that support community sustainability by successfully integrating urban spaces into businesses, living and leisure. Cities in South Asia are formed with unique socio-cultural living models. However with the effects of globalization, these cities got started to loose with their community identity, people‟s confidence, their aspirations and the distinctiveness. Environmental and social problems within the cities are growing, especially in developing countries. The contemporary planning and development trends have made these cities a rather typical space with lesser diversity and spirit. The quality of life of the people of the cities is questionable. The observations prove that generally, the Sri Lankan contemporary urban centers, being stereotyped, do not foster the communication between urban space and city users, and thus fails to happen to be a livable space. In this, what sustainable city strategies can offer? Can effective urban design bring answers for managing the livability issues? What are the current trends of Sri Lankan city? This paper reviews the eco-city living concepts, specially focusing the urban design ideas and strategies for sustainable urban developments in viewing the social dimensions of the city. This will also review the contemporary public realm development trends in the Sri Lankan city.