Sustainable Development for Urban Sprawl and Its Containment: A Hybrid Framework Formulation

With proper long-term planning involving sustainable urban development concepts such as new urbanism, smart growth and proximity cities, urban environments are better equipped to tackle increased populations. Sustainable urban growth methods can be achievable and effective and have been proven in cities such as Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Glasgow, Singapore, Winnipeg and Auckland, among others. These cities are world leaders committed to the United Nations sustainability agenda. This study led to the development of an ‘Urban Development Hybrid framework’ based on the three pillars of sustainability. The formulation of a hybrid framework aimed at promoting sustainable development in the context of urban sprawl and its management is essential for addressing the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation. Above all, this framework is heavily influenced by the four goals outlined by the UN’s agenda and Plan Melbourne 2050. The framework was tested and applied to three urban planning schemes/case studies: Greater Melbourne, Australia (Plan Melbourne 2050); Greater Toronto, Canada (Toronto’s Official Plan 2051); and Greater Boston, USA (Imagine Boston 2030). According to the results of this research, the most used sustainable urban measures shared between the case studies were Walkability/Rideability, Mixed land use, Community and Densification & Redevelopment. On the contrary, the Safety, Technology and Innovation measures were the least frequent. Nonetheless, it was also identified that sustainable urban development has no sole measure but a collection of components working together to improve cities. Such findings can further assist planners to better understand and plan for urban sprawl and its containment.