An Evaluation Framework for Sustainable Development: The Challenge for Planners and Development

Abstract

The continued urbanizing with rapid development has induced the changes of several urban environmentalaspects both positive and negative impacts. Although urban development has brought high technology improvementto support the demand of population, the transformations in term of replacement of natural resources andsocial value has become sustainability challenges, especially in the nonphysical terms. These changes has beenan evidence of influences of revolutionize on urban physical terms create on the structure of urban morphologyกรอบการประเมินการพัฒนาอย่างยั่งยืน:ความท้าทายของนักวางแผนต่อการพัฒนาเมืองAn Evaluation Framework for Sustainable Development:The Challenge for Planners and Developmentภาวิณี เอี่ยมตระกูล1 ชมพูนุท คงพุนพิน2 และ วิมลสิทธิ์ หรยางกูร3Pawinee Iamtrakul1, Chompoonut Kongphunphin2 and Vimolsiddhi Horayangkura3คณะสถาปัตยกรรมศาสตร์และการผังเมือง มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ จังหวัดปทุมธานี 12121Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, 12121, ThailandE-mail: iamtrakul@gmail.com186 JARS 10(1). 2013which has been essential for meeting this challenge to improve efficient urban development and planningphase. The conceptual and analytical framework covering different aspects both physical and nonphysicalcharacteristics with rational land use structure plays an essential role for objectively evaluating thesustainability of urban land use. Thus, to explore the association of those characteristics, this study identifiedthe potential neighborhood structure by applying a geographical analysis tool to quantify the spatial interactionof social space of the adjacent area. Consequently, social features could be determined in terms of socialcapital of different locations in dissimilar neighborhoods of Thakhlong municipality, Pathumthani province. Basedon the application of Potential Surface Analysis (PSA) and Urban Network Analysis (UNA), the major factors forevaluating the sustainability of urban land use could be used to explain. It was found that public spaces of thetraditional communities within the study area demonstrated poor urban potential. On the other hand, with goodlocal accessibility and low traffic volume, these areas have been important places of the community in term ofpublic spaces such as space in temple, market, etc. The more social capital could be induced within this typeof spaces rather than the community near by the industrial area which is represented of new development areaof good accessibility with higher hierarchy of roads. This finding could be applied for further suggestionsand recommendations for concerned government to design relevant policy in achieving the sustainabledevelopment of urban land use and planning. Also the framework of this study could be appropriate for anassessment of the sustainability of urban land use and planning.