Smart and Sustainable Urbanism with Identity in Mediterranean Cities

Abstract

The term ‘smart cities’ is a widely used concept, but one cannot say that the cities described as ‘smart’ are really smart. Since a city is not the mere collection of buildings, and higher technology use alone in the buildings and environment does not ensure a perfect function, what is needed is ‘smart planning’, not ‘smart cities”, as later is reduced to the technical perfection in the built environment. In an era in which serious environmental problems are threatening cities and their inhabitants, as cultural integrity is constantly under attack and many cities lack identifiable and socially inclusive environments, there is an urgent need for a radical shift towards a comprehensive strategy that would safeguard environment and people. This paper, accordingly, firstly provides a conceptual understanding of sustainable urbanism and a critical review of its philosophical and practical framework; secondly, it analyses the town of Taormina, a town with distinctive features in Sicily providing valuable clues for identifiable and ecologically and culturally sustainable development in the Mediterranean context; and finally, determines some key objectives for design/re-design strategies with a view to enhancing urban identity and sustainability based on the findings of the study. A mixed-method approach is used in the study accommodating literature survey, on-site analysis/observations and a user survey carried out by the author in order to understand the views and expectations of the local residents.