Compact city versus diffuse city: their implications in the urban life quality and the sustainability.

ROSENFELD, ELIAS; DISCOLI, CARLOS; SAN JUAN, GUSTAVO; MARTINI, IRENE; DICROCE, LUCIANO; BARBERO, DANTE; FERREYRO, CARLOS

International Society of City and Regional Planners

ISoCaRP Editorial Board

Año: 2008; p. 1 - 9

Two representative areas are analysed, compact city (CC) and diffuse city (DC), in La Plata and its surroundings, Argentina. It should be taken into account that in the considered territory, compact city is the result of the original urban area with bigger consolidation levels; and the diffuse city is the consequence of an urban sprawl growth of the peri-urban sectors. Their main macrovariables are analyzed according to the quantitative urban life quality model (ULQ): N1: Infrastructure Services; N2: Sanitation Services; N3: Communications Services; N4. Social Services; N5: Urban aspects; and N6: Environmental aspects. (ISOCARP, selected papers, 40th Congress. Istanbul 2006). (ASADES, XXX working Meeting, San Luis 2007). The ULQ model responds to different urban consolidation levels which are defined by two variables: a. Occupation level of built spaces and b. Regional urban services existence. If we compare CC and DC, for example, the model verifies that, between infrastructure basic services (electricity ?EE and natural gas NG) we can verify a decrease, in the ULQ index, of approximately 15% and 18% for NG. For sanitation and drinking water, the reduction is 4,6% and 17% respectively. In health, buildings of small complexity, improve a 7,38% and in education, the values have a reduction of 8,3%.If we analyse urban and environmental aspects, a meaningful reduction of 74% exists, for example, in flood and air pollution, differences of 20% are verified. We conclude that the main differences manifested in the examples are verified in the infrastructure and sanitation services and urban-environmental aspects. In consequence for the considered region, the ULQ model, registers average index which differ quantitatively in a 17% among both consolidations. This would confirm the disadvantages of the urban sprawl growth.