- Compact City versus diffuse City: their implications in urban life quality and sustainability    1558 kb by    Rosenfeld, Elías & Discoli, Carlos & San Juan, Gustavo | litorosenfeld@yahoo.com.ar    Short Outline The main macrovariables of compact city (CC) and diffuse city (DC) are analysed in La Plata and its surroundings, in Argentina. In order to define quantitatively the disadvantages against urban sprawl an urban life quality model will be implemented. Abstract Two representative areas are analysed, compact city (CC) and diffuse city (DC), in La Plata and its surroundings, Argentina. It should be taken into account that in the considered territory, compact city is the result of the original urban area with bigger consolidation levels; and the diffuse city is the consequence of an urban sprawl growth of the peri-urban sectors. Their main macrovariables are analyzed according to the quantitative urban life quality model (ULQ): N1: Infrastructure Services; N2: Sanitation Services; N3: Communications Services; N4. Social Services; N5: Urban aspects; and N6: Environmental aspects. (ISOCARP, selected papers, 40th Congress. Istanbul 2006). (ASADES, XXX working Meeting, San Luis 2007). The ULQ model responds to different urban consolidation levels which are defined by two variables: a. Occupation level of built spaces and b. Regional urban services existence. If we compare CC and DC, for example, the model verifies that, between infrastructure basic services (electricity –EE and natural gas NG) we can verify a decrease, in the ULQ index, of approximately 15% and 18% for NG. For sanitation and drinking water, the reduction is 4,6% and 17% respectively. In health, buildings of small complexity, improve a 7,38% and in education, the values have a reduction of 8,3%. If we analyse urban and environmental aspects, a meaningful reduction of 74% exists, for example, in flood and air pollution, differences of 20% are verified. We conclude that the main differences manifested in the examples are verified in the infrastructure and sanitation services and urban-environmental aspects. In consequence for the considered region, the ULQ model, registers average index which differ quantitatively in a 17% among both consolidations. This would confirm the disadvantages of the urban sprawl growth. Keywords Compact city versus diffuse city- Urban Life Quality Model Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2008: Urban Growth without Sprawl   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper