Abstract
Sustainable development has many environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. However, Urban Design is considered a critical pillar in ameliorating quality of life and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially at the local level. Sustainability in urban planning has many aspects, such as decent housing, landscape quality, multimodal transportation systems, and mixed land use; however, the study considers proper density as the most important factor. High density has advantages as it increases the opportunity for social interaction, improved physical health for its inhabitants due to walkability of the space, better public transportation, and better services for the urban community. Those advantages can address SDG 3, 11, and 13. In addition, some cities in hot, dry areas are associated with high density to protect them from the sun and storms. However, high-density areas also have disadvantages, such as potentially causing their inhabitants’ stress. Despite the importance of urban density, the proper and suitable density for achieving sustainable urban communities still needs to be discovered. This chapter tries to determine an optimal range for city density by studying urban planning elements and their density limits using statistic and spatial analysis programs. The relation between density and sustainability is represented in livable, walkable, and other city dynamic variables for achieving sustainable development goals.
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20 October 2023
A correction has been published.
Notes
- 1.
We will explain high medium low density in detail later.
- 2.
Viable: it means more economical.
- 3.
Cost of living:—is a relative indicator of consumer goods prices, including groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities. A Living Index of 120 it 20% more expensive than (New York) as a baseline.
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Salem, A. (2023). Determining an Adequate Population Density to Achieve Sustainable Development and Quality of Life. In: Walker, T., Cucuzzella, C., Goubran, S., Geith, R. (eds) The Role of Design, Construction, and Real Estate in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28739-8_4
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