Today rapid urbanization is a major challenge for many cities. In 2007 urban population started to exceed the rural population. Increasingly, scholars and governments discuss the effects of this trend on future development of cities. It is obvious that any kind of urban development should be controlled and regulated, otherwise the outcome could lead to a chaotic and unsustainable development. Besides, it may result in environmental problems like air pollution, heat islands, urban climate and etc. Unfortunately, this kind of physical modification practically have not been considered by the planners and designers. The current study is grounded on recent literature review and tries to concentrate on this problem mainly from the development and construction performance perspective. Moreover, the current study attempts to classify the effective variables under the urban form, urban geometry, and urban population.
Impact of Urban Sprawl: The Case of the Famagusta, Cyprus
Urban sprawl is a debatable topic among scholars and so far, there is no universal agreement on its definition. However, the majority of researches emphasize the multidimensional character of this phenomenon. The causes for urban sprawl can mainly be seen in rapid urbanization resulting in a fast expansion of urban areas towards their suburban areas. Urban sprawl is not just affecting the spatial form of the city, but also has negative environmental, social and economic impacts. Most studies reveal that the negative impacts surpass the positive ones and result in automobile dependency, social fragmentation, numerous health issue, and etc. The main aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of urban sprawl research by discussing definitions, dimensions, characters and causes of urban sprawl referring to current literature. Secondly, this study is focusing on sprawl development in Famagusta and its suburban region, Tuzla (Enkomi) area in North Cyprus. The main emphasis is on the negative impacts of sprawl in terms of social relations and auto dependency. This papers output is based on a pilot study in one of the neighborhoods in Tuzla region, the Turan Kaynak development.