Determining the characteristics of a sustainable urban form: Compression versus Sprawl

There are many ambiguities in determining the shape of a sustainable city and obtaining its indicators. Researchers can choose their desired indicators from a wide range to measure the urban form quantitatively. One of the types of urban forms that has been studied a lot is sprawl. Urban sprawl is in opposition to the Smart Growth Movement, with the aim of guiding urban development towards compactness. The difference of opinions on the two main and conflicting debates about the sustainability of the urban form (compression and sprawl) shows that although the compact city idea has been criticized in some cases, it has finally attracted many ideas. Certainly, in order to achieve sustainability, the future urban form should not act against the principles and rules of the compact city. In this research, by reviewing previous studies regarding different definitions of compactness and urban sprawl, without giving superiority to one of these forms, each of the urban forms and their effects on different aspects has been examined. The research method is analytical and finally, it comes to the conclusion that according to the physical, economic and social conditions of each city, urban compaction should be considered only as a solution to achieve urban sustainability instead of focusing on a specific urban form.