1st Edition
Designing Sustainable Cities in the Developing World
Can conservation of the built heritage be reconciled with the speed of urban change in cities of the developing world? What are the tools of sustainable design and how can communities participate in the design of the environments in which they live and work? These are some of the questions explored within this innovative and richly illustrated book. A wealth of examples drawn from Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India and Myanmar demonstrate how rapid physical and social change has swept away historic urban quarters and the cultural heritage they represent. Written in an accessible style the rich mix of concepts, research methods, analysis and practice-based tools is designed for academics and professionals alike. Leading academics Zetter and Watson have produced a fascinating book that is amongst the first to explore the concept of urban sustainability within the context of urban design in the developing world.
Biography
Professor Roger Zetter is Deputy Head of the Department of Planning and Director of the Development and Forced Migration Research Unit(dfm) in the School of Built Environment at Oxford Brookes University, UK. Professor Georgia Butina Watson is Head of the Department of Planning in the School of Built Environment at Oxford Brookes University, UK.
’Cities in developing countries must try to avoid replicating unsustainable infrastructure found in developed countries. The book explores, through a wide range of case studies, mechanisms and processes such as community participation, indigenous design and institutional arrangements which can be used to develop more sustainable solutions. In particular, it makes a valuable contribution to knowledge about urban design in developing countries by showing the powerful contribution that society and culture can make towards achieving sustainable cities.’ Jeremy Gibberd, CSIR, South Africa ’...should be acknowledged for its refreshingly pragmatic introduction of a new perspective on cities that is innovative in scale, content and objectives, which could lead to sustainable development of cities and would allow the future generations to meet their needs after a well-planned urbanization...such compilation of well-researched essays and case studies, which are pertinent to worldwide situations, can promote discussions and lead towards steps in the direction of bringing about sustainable design of cities in the developing world and reconciliation between conservation of heritage and the speed of urban changes.’ Building Engineer ’This book...represents a new complementary approach to the literature on cities in the developing world. It offers a redesigned perspective to encompass and shape the effects of globalization in the urban form and the design of sustainable cities.’ Journal of Housing and the Built Environment
