Research on Practice of Sustainable Urban Development–Since the Early Twentieth Century to Contemporary Trends

Abstract

Background: This study investigated the evolution of planning since the Garden city movement and trends in contemporary eco-city practices. Creating more dialogues between the past and present is essential for clarifying the context of neighborhood planning to that of sustainable urban development and their potential future trends. Objectives: This study referenced the evolution of major neighborhood planning movements to address the requirements of urban sustainability since the early twentieth century, namely the garden city, neighborhood unit, modernism, Neo-traditionalism, and Eco-urbanism. We divided these into the categories of “premodernism” and “postmodernism” in our analysis. Methods: First, the secondary data research method was used for the literature review. Second, acase study was conducted to analyze the planning of SSTEC. Third, we adopted six codesto investigate SSTEC issues and performed a correlational analysis based on the key criticisms of five neighborhood planning movements. Results: The results show that SSTEC as positive or negative aspects of sustainable development and found that all correlations were negative in the premodernist period, whereas planning movements in the postmodernist period represented significant progress. Conclusion: (a) the omission of public participation represents the highest potential risk for the planning movement; and (b) lessons can be learned from modernism and through noticing bilateral collaborative trends.