Treating the Symptoms - A Critical Review of ... - Civic Exchange

Left: Western Market has become primarily a tourist attraction with few customers onweekdays. This photograph was taken on a Monday afternoon in June 2009.Inclusion or Exclusivity?An important matter in the social sustainability of urban environments is whether theyare inclusive or exclusive. Socially sustainable environments can be used by everyone andencourage interaction between people of different social backgrounds. They do not keeppeople out with physical barriers, social controls, or pricing. It is argued that inclusiveenvironments are necessary for the social and political health of societies; spatial fragmentationexacerbates the effects of social inequality. While it is too simplistic to say that good urbandesign results in social integration, urban design should at least facilitate social interactionrather than separation.96While the URA has successfully created new public open spaces and community facilitiesthat are open to all, in other ways it has created environments that divide people. This is notnecessarily the fault of the URA; in most cases it is simply following established planningregulations and guidelines and doing the same things that the private sector does.