- Intensification, Compact City Development and Sustainability    529 kb by    Striker, Maren | strikermaren@hotmail.com    Short Outline The usage of space of cities is an important prerequisite for their vibrancy and sustainability. Intensification and compact city development are believed to keep this consumption of space within certain limits. In this study, two cases, Randstad in the Netherlands and Hong Kong in China, are analyzed on their compact city development. Abstract Sustainability is the way forward for the survival of this planet. The consumption of space of cities is an important prerequisite for their vibrancy and sustainability. Intensification and compact city development are believed to keep this consumption of space within certain limits. In this study, two cases, Randstad in the Netherlands and Hong Kong in China, are analyzed on their compact city development and how it contributes to sustainability. Generally speaking, the Netherlands and Hong Kong are both seen as successful examples of compact city development. But there are doubts arising about the ‘compactness’ of these cities. In Randstad, there have recently been debates about the ‘disappearance of the typical Dutch landscape’ caused by ‘landscape cluttering’. In Hong Kong there is an enormous drive towards more greenery and space for recreation within the city which generally seems to be hindered by development and economic prosperity. The first step towards sustainability should be to value the unique characteristics of the given area. The Randstad is unique in its morphology as a polycentric metropolitan area, which gives it the opportunity to benefit from the proximity of its several different cities and their natural landscapes. Meanwhile, Hong Kong values its outstanding cityscape and excellent recreational and transport facilities. To guarantee the protection of these unique characteristics, careful consideration should be given to usage of land. One way to ensure an efficient use of land is by creating boundaries for red (urban), green (environment) and grey (industry) zones. Assessment of spatial demands should be made on a level where the daily-urban-system is the most appropriate; mostly a regional or city-region scale level. These boundaries will give an incentive to municipalities and developers to redevelop brownfield sites instead of greenfield sites which leads to intensification. This in turn leads to a higher density which is needed to encourage the development of reliable public transport and maintain facilities in neighborhoods. An integrated city and regional plan is the basis for a good distribution of resources. Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2011: LIVEABLE CITIES: URBANISING WORLD, Meeting the Challenge   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper