Towards an Integrated Urban Space Framework for Emerging Urban Conditions in a High-density Context

Abstract

In the dense and hybrid urban conditions emerging globally, urban space is seen not only as a precious and contested commodity, but also as one of the key vehicles for achieving socially, environmentally and economically sustainable urban living. Therefore, the conventional ways of designing, utilizing and managing public spaces need to be revisited and re-conceptualized, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Drawing from contemporary theories and concepts addressing the quality of public spaces, this paper outlines the discourse analysis used to develop an integrated Urban Space Framework to systematically classify, assess, analyze and guide the design of urban spaces in high-density contexts.

Acknowledgements

The content discussed in this paper is part of the research project ‘Urban Space Planning for Sustainable High-Density Environments’ conducted at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities (CSAC), School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore; National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore; and Housing and Development Board (HDB), Singapore. The project was funded by the Ministry of National Development (MND), Singapore. The authors also wish to thank Dr Limin Hee (former Principal Investigator), Dr Davisi Boontharm, Dr Erwin Viray, Dr Patrick Janssen and Professor Chye Kiang Heng, SDE, NUS, for their valuable contributions to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.