Developing a neighbourhood sustainability assessment model: an approach to sustainable urban development

Abstract

In every neighbourhood urban development; attention is directed towards overcoming the spatial disparities, rapid urbanisation, socio-economic imbalances and transport system connectivity challenges that influence the urban form and quality of life. At the core of development is the concept of sustainability – its importance and significance in the planning of urban areas are consistently highlighted by international and local debates. Despite this commitment – neighbourhoods’ sustainability account is questionable. It is argued that uptake of sustainable development has taken serious consideration of cities, for some reason it has received less in the development of neighbourhoods – especially the spatial factor and its contribution to sustainability. The challenge now is to provide a range in terms of sustainability – a measure that can determine a degree of neighbourhood sustainability initiatives and the extent to which this sustainability can be integrated. The key urban neighbourhood sustainability concepts and characteristics are used in this paper to develop comprehensive neighbourhood sustainability assessment tool/model (Successful Neighbourhood Model)