Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
identification of a desirable urban form and the consequent urban politics.
In short, one feels that a theory is lacking to help evaluate if one specific
urban form can contribute more than the others to making the contemporary
city more sustainable.
8.5.5.1 Progress of the Disciplinary Debate
The interdependence between anthropic and natural processes poses
unprecedented challenges in managing the growth and requalification of
cities, and requires a new frame of reference to guide the evolution of an
urban shape that is capable of better responding to the complex interactions
between human processes, environmental and
ecological resilience
, and
the landscape. However, this does not mean identifying an “ideal urban
form” that is completely adapted to different ecological processes or that
totally ensures the conservation of biodiversity and the quality of life. It is
important to note that the urban environment is much more variable and
complex than has been conceptualized already; in real systems there are
multiple equilibriums and the best response can change under different
conditions, as well as evolving in time. However, since different urban
models at different scales deal with different grades of compactness, densi-
ty, connectivity, and heterogeneity of the urban fabric, it is worth asking
what the best combination/interaction may be to guarantee a reasonable
equilibrium. In particular, it should be understood how:
•
Models of land use, constructed environment, and open spaces interact
with the energy system of the city and how the structure and spatial
form influence the
energy needs
of a series of activities, especially
transportation and the heating of manufactured buildings.
•
Different settlement shapes have different effects on biophysical
processes, the ecological conditions of the area, environmental comfort
itself, and the conservation and improvement of the landscape.
To do this with the aim of testing a new methodology to evaluate the
urban form that is aimed at sustainability, the following are necessary: a
comprehensive
dynamic analysis
of urban systems with the support of
multiple integrated disciplinary skills and recourse to a parameterization
model that is capable of identifying an equilibrium point among possible
action scenarios for the development of these territories, the requalification
of the city, and the sustainability objectives identified.
8.5.5.2 Expected Results
A methodology designed in such a way should be able to supply public
administrations, designers, and planners with a tool to evaluate the impli-
cations of alternative urban development models within the goal of sustain-
ability. In addition, it should provide valid support for decisions when
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