Ballice, G., & Asadollahi Asl Zarkhah, S. (2016). Eco-city Model for Sustainable Urban Development. In A. Erkal, E. Acuner (Eds.), Proceeding of the International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment (560-573). İMSAD.
In this article, Eco-city is proposed as the future model for new/existing settlements. This is a city concept consisting of living organisms and natural eco-systems, in which the city and the natural environment continuously interact.
With rapid changes in economic, social, and cultural structures of cities, unsustainable urban forms and patterns create harmful effects on people and the environment. Central and local decision makers and residents of the city have not foreseen the results of these evolutions. Thus, settlements remain behind planning. Especially superfluous energy consumption, unconscious use of resources and environmentally hazardous practices lead to unhealthy conditions for urban dwellers.
Within this context, transferring existing cities into more ecologically based and liveable settlements is a critical issue for future generations. Eco-city is proposed as the future model for new/existing settlements. This is a city concept consisting of living organisms and natural eco-systems, in which the city and the natural environment continuously interact. The eco-city is a city of social and functional integration, cultural diversity, accessible education, resource conservation and regional dialogue.
This paper evaluates such dimensions by considering guiding principles of sustainable urbanism by giving examples from several cities throughout the world. Issues will be studied under the headings of these eco- city guiding principles. Consequently, it will be possible to conceive how better human and environmental circumstances might be accomplished in public spaces.