Multi-functional land-use planning as a regulator of urban metabolism: A conceptual perspective

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to reveal the possibilities for using land-use planning to improve the urban metabolism (UM) circularity and sustainability, and thus its usefulness for urban planning and development. The available literature about UM is overviewed and analysed from this conceptual perspective, and a comprehensive and consistent definition of the UM concept is proposed. The Circular UM is also presented as an efficient and sustainable extension of UM. It has been found that distinct urban forms strongly influence UM, and that this influence to a great extent transfers through, and connects, the layers of the urban form, from the urban morphology, through the spatial distribution of urban functions, to the level of the building stock. These relations imply that proper intertwining of city functions in compact urban areas could have favourable impacts on many aspects of UM, reducing the consumption of land, material and energy, as well as pollution, and improving the overall quality of life. Quantification of these impacts requires a more precise determination of the effects of intertwining of urban functions, and the side-effects of doing so, and is a precondition for the effective use of MLU for UM optimisation.