Sustainable Urban Design; Past, Present & Future Case Study: Darabad River Valley

The rapid and uncontrolled haphazard urbanization is a serious threat to the manmade and natural environment and the socio-economic balance of our time. There is a global concern that urbanization must be oriented into responsible, sustainable, and livable urban forms. High quality of sustainable urban design plays a key role in creating these sustainable living environments. In this regard learning from culture and history, and searching together for new ways of designing is a must. In this paper the evolution of the settlements with respect to sustainable urban design in past, present & future is analyzed. The study indicates that we had sustainable urban design in pre- industrial period in an organic way; but, we alter their existing ecosystems by welcoming incompatible technological elements; elements that cause a kind of ill growth similar to cancer. In this relation a case study of urban environmental design for Darabad River valley in Tehran as a sustainable urban design project is presented in brief. Finally it is concluded that we should know that designing is a kind of altering the systems. A comprehensive wise and conscious approach similar to what we have used in Darabad River valley project is suggested for similar situations.