Urban form in sustainable neighbourhoods

Abstract

Urban form is the generalized physical indicator or the manifestation of a built-up area.It demonstrates physical patterns, layouts and structures of neighbourhood designs, which defines the physical character of neighborhoods and communities within the City. Overall, the city or neighbourhood forms are constituted and configured of a set of ‘elements’of its urban form, which could be identified as streets, street blocks, plots and buildings. In each of these configurations, elements are combined in a specific way, originating a different identifiable character, unique to each and every neighbourhood or city. Neighborhoods always possess a strong physical reality inside cities with distinctive physical, social and economic characteristics. They are the main ‘unit’ of city which play a key role in formation of cities. Elements and composition of such formation or the urban form of a neighbourhood are identified as key factors that are claimed to influence sustainability and human behaviour.As an important concept in Planning and Architecture, sustainability is central in consideration of development of cities, and neighbourhoods. Cities cannot be considered sustainable if their component neighbourhoods, do not meet sustainability criteria. This paper intends to examine the relationship between urban form and neighbourhood sustainability to identify urban form of a sustainable neighbourhood. It investigates the elements and composition of urban form that attempted to promote sustainable neighbourhoods, reaching compatible sustainability concepts.