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PrinciplesofsustainableurbandevelopmentBackgroundandStrategiesMr.JohannesDellAS&P–AlbertSpeer&PartnerGmbH,FrankfurtMitgliedderGeschäftsleitung+Partner/MemberofManagementBoard+PartnerAS&P–ArchitectsConsulting(Shanghai)Co.,Ltd.,ShanghaiExecutiveDirector1IntroductionSincemorethan45years,AS&P-AlbertSpeer&PartnerGmbHhasworkedinthefieldofurbanandarchitecturaldesign,transportationplanningaswellasproject-andprocess-managementinmanyregionsoftheworld.Strategiccitydevelopmentinalargescalewithafocusonresources-efficiencyhasbeenamajorissueintheseprojectsalmostfromthefirstprojectson.Theexperiencesgainedovertheyearshashelpedustoidentifyanumberofthesis’sandstrategiesforsustainableurbandevelopment,whichcanhelptoplan,organizeandimplementcity-growthmoreappropriately;indifferentstagesandscales,fromregionaldevelopmentuptothedesignofsinglebuildings.Inthiscontext,themoretechnicalaspectsofreducingrecoursesconsumptionplayofcourseanimportantrole.Yetapartfromthat,aspectsofsocialharmonization,themixoffunctionstoprovidelively,manifoldanddiversecityscapesandenvironmentsmustberecognized.Andlastnotleastthedesignofacityfabric,whichcanbedistinguishedandperceivedbythecitizensas“their”owncity,quarterorneighbourhood.Iamtalkingaboutcitizenshipingeneral,corporategovernance,identificationofthecitizenswiththeircommunity,andintheendaboutcity-marketingor–branding.Cityplanningandurbandesignareintegralpartsofaprocess,whichstartsonaveryabstractlyonastate-orregionalplanninglevelandendswiththeconstructionofourbuildupurbanenvironment,buildings,openspaces,roadsandinfrastructure.Thisprocessrequiresquiteasophisticatedmanagementtobesuccessful,thatmeansthesynchronizationandharmonizationofmanyoftenparallelevolving,sometimeevencontradictorysub-andsideprocesses;inotherwords:theintegrationofallpartsofthepuzzleintothebiggerpicture.Asthecityisunderstoodasalivingorganism,oracomplex,dynamicsystem,thisprocess-managementrequiresnotonlyaparticipatoryandtransparentcommunication-culturewhichintegratestherelevantstakeholders.Itaswellrequiresalotofflexibility,aswellasconstantamendmentandrefinement.Inthissense,thefixedvisionsandimagesofa“MasterPlan”whichtriestopreciselyregulateeverythinguptodetailisnolongerappropriate.Ithastobereplacedbyamoreflexibleplanningtoolwhichallowsorganizing,steeringandmoderatingtheplanningprocessatleastascomprehensivelyastheimplementationoftheresults.Thiswillbepointedoutmoredetailedinthefollowing.Frommypointofviewandmyexperience,thebiggestandmostseriousshortcominginmostcity-planningprojectswhichIcameacrossinchina,isastillunderdevelopedunderstandingofsuchprocessesandtheirmanagement.Inabroadersensethecityasanorganismmeansthatthetechnical,social,culturalandpoliticalsystems,theirdifferentelementsandthenetworkstheyconstituteshouldberegardedasakindoforganicentity,which“reacts”and“behaves”quitesimilarto“natural”organicentitieswecalleco-system.Assuch,itmoreorlessdirectlytendstofollowtheprinciplesinherenttoecological,organic,“living”systems.Amongtheserules,therearetwowhichseemtobeofutmostimportance,astheystronglydetermineasystemsabilitytodevelop,flexiblyadoptandthusintheendsurvive:thesystemstendencytoefficiency,namelytoobtainresource-efficiency,aswellasitstendencyto(self)-organizeasade-centralizednetwork-structureofbasicallysimilarandselfsustained,“humanscale”entitiesormodules,(quarters,subcentres,coreareas,satellitesorwhatevertheymightbecalled)whichconstituteaLargerCities,“Mega-Cities”or“AgglomerationAreas”urbanfabric.Theideaunderplayingtheseprincipleswithregardtourbandesignisrepresentedbyacomparativelynewsystemicapproachtowardscityplanning:theshiftfromanunderstandingofurbandevelopmentasmerelytechnicallydetermined(stronglyrelatedtoinfrastructure),toaninterpretationthatregardsurbanagglomerationsasnon-linear,dynamic,sometimesevenchaoticsystems(whichhaveindeedmanycharacteristicsincommonwithcomplexlivingorganismsandorganisations).Likealllivingorganismsbytheway,citiesexperiencedifferentphasesintheirlife-time,andtheycanaswellfallill!TheBelgianarchitectLucienKrollaswellhas,alreadymanyyearsago,rightfullyposedthequestionwhetherUrbanDevelopmentisanevolutionaryprocess.Accordingtoourunderstanding,theanswerisyes.Toahugeextend,theabovementionedprinciplesaredecisiveforwhatweusetocall“sustainableurbandevelopment”.(side-note:SustainableUrbanDevelopmentisunderstoodasaprocessofbalancingconstantlychangingdeterminingfactorsofcitydevelopment,withtheaimtoprovidetothecitizens:-satisfyingwork-integrate,stablesocialconditions-adequatemobility-politicalsystemwithbalancedrepresentationofinterestsandvalues-adequatepublicservices-builtenvironmentservingtheneedsofmoderneconomicandlifestylewithoutoverstretchingthenaturalenvironmentscapacitytoregenerate.)Iwouldliketounderlinetheimportanceofsuchkindofdevelopment。Giventhestillacceleratingprocessofurbanisation,especiallyinchina,thelargecitiesormegacitiesinfactprovidethebattlegroundswhetherappropriatelivingconditionsforthegenerationstocomecanbeprovidedornot!2Framework-conditionsoftoday’sCity-DevelopmentinChinaThegeneralframeworkconditionsareset