Archnet > Publication > An Alternative Approach in Sustainable Planning: Slow Urbanism

The “speed” concept, as being one of the significant phenomena that shaped industrial cities, creates a significant obstacle for sustainability. The speed that was gained with mechanization and industrialization resulted in disintegration in urban environment, disrupted the relation between place and the individual, and caused the rapid transformation of cultural and environmental values that once belonged to the place. At this point, “slowing down” emerges as a significant concept in the quest for sustainability and for regaining the relationship between the urban environment and the individual. This study puts forward Slow Urbanism as an alternative approach in sustainable planning as it forms the antithesis of “speed” and confronts the deformations of global culture shaped by fast consumption. Following a brief discussion of the transformations caused by “speed” in built environments; this study aims to draw attention to new challenges of “Slow Urbanization” model by highlighting its adaptability and flexibility through focusing on three different slow city experiences: Midden-Delfland (The Netherlands), Hersbruck (Germany) and Seferihisar (Turkey). The evaluation of these cases displayed that the adaptability and flexibility of the model makes it unique as it can be implemented in settlements that have different characteristics. The findings also revealed that the model focuses on originality, diversity, heterogeneity, a sense of belonging and appropriation instead of homogeneity, monotony, and uniformity. It replaces the “destroy and construct” philosophy of consumption culture with “re-explore and reconstruct” approach and in this way encourages cities to use and develop their distinctive social, economic and cultural potentials.

Type

journal article

Year

2011

The “speed” concept, as being one of the significant phenomena that shaped industrial cities, creates a significant obstacle for sustainability. The speed that was gained with mechanization and industrialization resulted in disintegration in urban environment, disrupted the relation between place and the individual, and caused the rapid transformation of cultural and environmental values that once belonged to the place. At this point, “slowing down” emerges as a significant concept in the quest for sustainability and for regaining the relationship between the urban environment and the individual. This study puts forward Slow Urbanism as an alternative approach in sustainable planning as it forms the antithesis of “speed” and confronts the deformations of global culture shaped by fast consumption. Following a brief discussion of the transformations caused by “speed” in built environments; this study aims to draw attention to new challenges of “Slow Urbanization” model by highlighting its adaptability and flexibility through focusing on three different slow city experiences: Midden-Delfland (The Netherlands), Hersbruck (Germany) and Seferihisar (Turkey). The evaluation of these cases displayed that the adaptability and flexibility of the model makes it unique as it can be implemented in settlements that have different characteristics. The findings also revealed that the model focuses on originality, diversity, heterogeneity, a sense of belonging and appropriation instead of homogeneity, monotony, and uniformity. It replaces the “destroy and construct” philosophy of consumption culture with “re-explore and reconstruct” approach and in this way encourages cities to use and develop their distinctive social, economic and cultural potentials.

Dogrusoy, Ilknur Turkseven and Dalgakiran, Ahu. "An Alternative Approach in Sustainable Planning: Slow Urbanism," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 5, issue 1 (2011).