Measuring Urban Sustainability: Developing a Conceptual ...

1 ABSTRACT: The issue of sustainable development has been widely acknowledged and spreadrapidly after United Nations conference on environment and development in Rio in 1992. Considerableattention is given to Urban settlement areas. Thus, role of Urban development is seen as a challengingissue under circumstances. Outcomes of the current patterns of world population growth andindustrial development are agreed and reported as major causes of un- sustainability in long by turn of century almost half of the world s population is lived in Urban areas; it isexpected that this figure will reach to billion of world population- by year 2030. This istwofold; on the one hand cities are the places of the excessive use of energy and resources, ofproduction of waste and pollution, of crimes and deprivations and socio-cultural un-stability, andso forth. However, some question will arise: is there a simple and universal model of sustainableurban form?

2 How would decision makers be able to assess the rightness of their programs andactions in terms of sustainability of Urban forms? And to what extent the concept of urbansustainability can be translated to some measurable elements? This paper therefore, aims to developa Conceptual framework within which the notion of Urban sustainability -as a broad Conceptual term- can be translated into some quantities which can be measured and evaluated with more this model, characteristics of sustainable Urban form, systematically are defined andtranslated into some indicators. It is hoped that this model can provide easement and clarificationfor researchers and decision-makers in their assessment of cities form and function towards words: Urban sustainability , Conceptual model, Development, sustainability measurement, sustainability indicatorsMeasuring Urban sustainability : Developing a Conceptual Framework for Bridging the Gap Between theoretical Levels and the Operational LevelsMasnavi, M.

3 R.*Department of Environmental Design Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment,University of Tehran, Tehran, IranInt. J. Environ. Res., 1(2): 188-197, Spring 2007 ISSN: 1735-6865 Received 12 Nov 2006; Revised 10 Jan 2007; Accepted 27 Jan 2007*Corresponding author: are critical questions that need to beclarified in our path towards achievingsustainability. The issue of sustainable developmenthas been widely acknowledged and spread rapidlyafter United Nations conference on environmentand development in Rio 1992 (UNCED, 1992).Sustainable development was defined as development that meets the needs of presentgeneration without compromising the ability offuture generation to meet their own needs (WCED, 1987). Although, there has been manydefinition of sustainable development and un- sustainability thereafter, outcomes of the currentpatterns of world population growth and industrialdevelopment are agreed and reported to be themajor causes of un- sustainability in long term (ibid).

4 It has been agreed that the current patterns ofurban development and human activity have ledto environmental degradation, and have createdserious problems for natural resources and thequality of life particularly in Urban issues were supported by the Rioconference in 1992; which concluded that suchpatterns of development are not sustainable in thelong term without some significant , it is suggested that cities should actas a locus for solving global environment problems188in the direction of sustainable Urban are some arguments that the issue of urbansustainability is closely linked with the question ofsustainable city/ Urban form (Jenks, et al.,1997).The idea has been supported strongly by the twolater conferences: HABITAT International (1997),and Rio+10 in Johannesburg (2002). Undercircumstances some questions have been raised:What are the characteristics of sustainability ?How do they relate to the Urban form?

5 And howcan they be scaled and tested? These, leads to aneed for devising methods or formulatingtechniques for the measurement of Urban form interms of paper therefore, aims to create a tool tooperationalise the idea in definite measurements;and to develop a framework within which the notionof Urban sustainability - as a broad Conceptual term- can be translated into some workable quantitieswhich can be measured and evaluated with moreassertion. Throughout this model, characteristicsof sustainable Urban form, systematically aredefined and translated into some measurableindicators. It is hoped that this model can providesome tangible features to the general public andcan be manageable to decision-makers, and alsoprovide researchers with easement in theirassessment of cities role towards is discussed that sustainable developmentidea is based on a comprehensive view of systemswhich are open, dynamic and integrated.

6 This viewaims to make goals of sustainability simple andflexible so that, multiple interpretations andapplications can be afforded in variety of situations(Trraga and Ngel 2006). Contemporary approachin sustainability is tacking into account interactionsand feedbacks between social, economics andenvironmental dimensions. However, the way inwhich these dimensions should be evaluatedwhether solely, or in combination, has not beenwell defined yet. At the same time, there has beenmany definitions given for of sustainabledevelopment after Brundtland report (1987), eachreflect levels of values and assumptions (Beratan,et al.,2004). These create a challenging is no consensus over a single precise termwith which to facilitate Measuring progresstowards sustainability (Dahl, 1997, in Trraga andNgel 2006). To some researchers, it has been seenas something that cannot be easily scaled ormeasured (Trraga and Ngel, 2006).

7 Therefore, itis suggested to begin from an articulated vision ofsustainable development and clear goals whichrepresent that vision (Hardi and Zdan, 1997).Therefore, the development of an instrument forsustainability indicators within a wider frameworkof analysis is necessary. Agenda 21 defined theimportance of sustainability indicators (in Chapter40) where, it urges for the development of methodsand techniques at multiple levels for measuringsustainability (RDED, 1997).Within the context of sustainabilityconsiderable attention has given to the role ofurban form. Many organizations such as UN, EUand even World Bank have now sustainable citiesprogrammes (Newman 1999). This shows thecurrent importance of Urban areas. Thisimportance led to the discussion about necessityof a simple and universal model of sustainableurban form which could be sought and identified;and its features can be generalized across theworld (Guy and Marvin, 2000:9).

8 However, thereis a risk of overestimating about alternative urbanform and its universal legitimacy without thoroughinvestigation of local conditions and geographicalsituation. The argument appeared to be incontradiction with the earth summit motto: Thinkglobally, Act locally urging the recognition of localsocio-cultural and environmental aspects as vitalelements in sustainability domain. Therefore, it isargued that the continued search for a simple anduniversal model of sustainable Urban form can blindresearchers and policy makers to the multiplicityof the innovations that may contribute towardsbuilding a more sustainable Urban future (ibid). Itis agreed that Rio Declaration or Agenda 21 hasprovided a broad framework for global sustainabledevelopment (CAG, 1992). This may suggest todevelop or invent models based on locality andavailability of resources (materials, data,technology, ) that are put together tocontribute into the framework of Rio Declarationor Agenda & METHODSG iven the fact that Measuring sustainability iscoupled with sustainability indicators, there is aneed for Urban sustainability indicator systems thatreflect the integration of relevant dimensions inMasnavi M.

9 Of social, economic and environmentalfactors. According to De Kruijf and Van Vuuren(1998) The integration process for measurementof sustainability could be done through at least fivetools namely: 1) Integrating Conceptual framework;2) Integration by selection of specific indicators;3) Integral presentation methods; 4) Aggregationof indicators; and 5) Mathematical develop sustainability indicators throughfirst tool (integrating Conceptual framework) sixframeworks has been addressed. Domain basedframeworks; Issue based frameworks; Goal based framework; Sectoral framework ; Causalframework ; Comparative framework; Ecologicframeworks, and finally Combination frameworks(McLaren, 1996). Further details of eachframework have been given by McLaren. Thereare strengths and weaknesses with each offrameworks. He suggested that before choosingan appropriate indicator framework to assessurban sustainability , it is necessary to define thepros and cons of each (ibid).

10 Since, they can beused in accordance with the case studyrequirements in different situations. Combinationframeworks thus, can be used to overcomedisadvantages of above-mentioned it is used as an integrated framework,Combination framework brings together two ormore of described above frameworks. In this study,Domain based framework and Goal basedframework are combined together to overcomedisadvantages of above-mentioned individualframeworks; and to present a new frameworkwhich aimed to be appropriate for Measuring urbansustainability. These frameworks are described inbrief in the next based framework is defined by thekey dimensions of sustainability which areincluding: environment, society, and economy. Itidentifies indicators for each, and ensures for thecoverage of the dimensions of , it suffers from the fact that it does nottake into account links between indicators andsustainability goals.