Sustainable Urban Development and Compact City Strategies

Sustainable urban development seeks to balance economic prosperity, social well-being and environmental protection as the world’s urban population continues to grow. Compact city strategies have emerged as a leading paradigm for achieving this balance by promoting higher densities, mixed land use, efficient public transport and accessible green spaces. By containing urban sprawl and making better use of existing infrastructure, compact approaches can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, lower per-capita resource consumption and foster vibrant, walkable communities.

Yet compact city policies involve complex trade-offs. Too little density can exacerbate car dependence and land-take, while excessive concentration may undermine liveability, affordability and public health. Equitable access to housing and amenities, social inclusion and resilience to climate impacts must be integrated into planning frameworks. The latest research underlines the importance of context-sensitive design principles, evidence-based thresholds for density, and inclusive policy instruments to guide sustainable urban transformations around the globe.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Sustainable Urban Development and Compact City Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sustainable urban development and compact city strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Compact city: An urban form characterised by high residential and employment densities, mixed land uses and efficient public transport aimed at minimising sprawl and resource use.

Densification: The process of increasing population or building density within existing urban areas to optimise land use and infrastructure.

Mixed land use: The integration of residential, commercial, institutional and recreational functions within the same area to encourage shorter trips and diverse neighbourhoods.

Density threshold: A context-specific level of urban density above or below which benefits or adverse effects become pronounced.

Urban sprawl: Low-density, car-dependent development that extends the urban footprint and increases infrastructure and energy demands.

References

1. Compact city planning and development: Emerging practices and strategies for achieving the goals of sustainability. Developments in the Built Environment (2020).
2. Systematic review and comparison of densification effects and planning motivations. Buildings and Cities (2021).
3. Anatomy of density: measurable factors that constitute urban density. Buildings and Cities (2021).