Sustainable urban design with people in mind : A framework revisited

This paper provides a critical view of the Sustainable Urban Design Framework proposed by Nico Larco in 2015. It problematizes its embedded top-down/expert approach and argues for the use of the alternative understanding of sustainability as a social phenomenon proposed by the Circles of Sustainability as a theoretical reference. The paper proposes adjusting the framework in two ways: explicitly including social aspects of sustainability and including the temporal dimension of sustainability. The first one will help to overcome issues of index standardization on the one hand and to more closely connect with local contexts on the other. The second one will directly address issues of place-making and identity by embedding history, current conditions and future expectations of specific communities as fundamental elements for any urban intervention that strives for sustainability.