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MALIK ASGHAR NAEEM: City
regions in developing countries

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are experiencing
tremendous urbanization

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that contributes to
sprawled development,

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a daunting challenge posing
a threat to sustainable

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urban growth.

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Take the example of Malaysia.

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Nearly 73% of its
total population

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lives in cities, making it one
of the most urbanized countries

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in Southeast Asia.

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The Kuala Lumpur
metropolitan region

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witnessed a higher rate of
increase in its physical area

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than that of its population
over a period of 20 years.

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During that time, the population
approximately doubled,

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but the area increased
by two and 1/2 times.

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Urban sprawl is characterized
by an inefficient use

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of land resources.

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For example, building
low-density housing

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and commercial
buildings will lead

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to the horizontal expansion
or sprawl of the city.

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Look at the example of two
cities-- Atlanta, the capital

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of the US state of Georgia,
and Barcelona, the capital

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of Catalan in Spain.

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The same number
of people resides

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in each of these cities, but
the built-up area for Atlanta

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is about 26 times greater
than that of Barcelona.

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This is a typical
illustration of sprawl

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versus compact development.

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Urban sprawl leads to the
depletion of green area

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on the urban periphery.

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It also contributes to lengthier
commutes and higher energy

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consumption for commuting.

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It makes public transport
financially unfeasible,

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which leads to an enormous
increase in private car

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ownership.

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This trend results
in traffic congestion

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and increased pollution
due to vehicular emissions.

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Limiting urban
sprawl is, therefore,

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key to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions

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and increasing the overall
environmental sustainability

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of a city.

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Compact development is a helpful
response to urban sprawl.

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Let's discuss the concept
of compact development.

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The prominent features
of compact development

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include mixed land use,
well-developed public

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transportation infrastructure,
efficient use of land,

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and strict controls
on development

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outside city boundaries.

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Now I'll explain
these three features

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of compact development.

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Mixed land use-- mixed
land-use development

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means placing
residential, commercial,

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and recreational uses in close
proximity to one another.

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This promotes walking,
biking, and helps

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reduce commuting for
a number of people

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who find their workplace
nearby in the neighborhood.

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Emphasis on public
transportation--

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the most important feature
of compact development

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is having efficient rail
and bus-based public

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transportation.

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This helps reduce
private car ownership.

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The concept of
transit-oriented development

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promotes having reasonably
dense development surrounding

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mass transit stations
as a desirable feature

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of a compact city.

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This kind of development
provides easy and efficient

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access to transport facilities
for residents and workers.

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It can also increase
ridership and help

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make public transport
financially viable.

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It ultimately leads to
less energy consumption

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and less pollution.

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Efficient use of land
resources and control

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on development outside
the city boundary--

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single-story
buildings interspersed

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with patches of undeveloped land
wastes precious land resources.

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Such development patterns also
contribute to urban sprawl

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by creating more demand for
development on green fields

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on the outskirts of cities.

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Compact development,
in contrast,

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uses land more efficiently by
having high-rise buildings that

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can accommodate more people
and by developing vacant land.

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Demarcation of city
growth boundaries

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also helps promote
compact development,

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thereby optimizing the
utilization of available land

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within the boundary.

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Planning departments
in KL Metropolitan

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are committed to achieving
compact urban development.

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Provision of efficient
public transport,

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therefore, is a top priority.

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Heavy investments in
mass transit systems

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have already been made to
increase the public transport

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ridership rate from the current
20% to 50% by the year 2030.

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The rail-based public transport
system in KL Metropolitan

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came into operation about
20 years ago, in 1996,

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and has expanded incrementally.

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The central area of the city is
served by a light rail transit

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system and KL Monorail.

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Together, they provide
approximately 60 kilometers

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of rail network.

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A commuter train, namely KTM
Komuter, on the other hand,

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makes the city core accessible
for suburban areas of the KL

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metropolitan area.

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Similarly, a dedicated
express train

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connects the city center to
the KL International Airport.

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The mass rapid transit
system started in 2011.

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Once completed, it will comprise
of three rail lines connecting

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suburban areas in the greater
KL to the federal territory.

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The first line to be
completed in two years

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will serve a population of about
one and 1/2 million people.

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A single train on the line with
a maximum capacity of 1,200

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passengers can replace 12 buses,
or approximately 700 cars.

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In addition to improving its
rail-based public transport,

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KL is also increasing the
share of public buses.

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Five bus express transit routes
are currently in operation

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to reduce travel time from
outer areas to city center.

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Moreover, a comprehensive
bus rapid transit plan

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with dedicated
bus lanes has also

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been proposed to make buses
a fast and efficient mode

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of public transportation.

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Kuala Lumpur's city
government has also

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started to pay more attention
to transit-oriented development

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and, as a first step, has a
identified nearly 70 Transit

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Planning Zones.

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What is a Transit Planning Zone?

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It is an area of 250 meter
radius around a mass transit

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station.

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Its development is characterized
by high building density

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along with mixed land uses.

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The work on
intensification of land use

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by replacing the single-story
buildings with high-rise ones

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and having mixed land use is
in progress in the identified

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Transit Planning Zones.

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Usually, the city center
is the focal point

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of most economic activities.

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The use of precious
land in this area

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needs to be intensified
in order to make room

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for increased demand
for new residential

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and commercial development.

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Therefore, vacant and
other inefficiently

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used land parcels needs to be
identified in order to convert

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them to productive uses.

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The KL city government,
for example,

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created an inventory
that identified

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821 hectares of vacant and
abandoned land in the city core

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and surrounding area that
can now be used efficiently.

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In addition, it
is also replacing

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single-story buildings
with multi-story ones.

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Similarly, due
attention is being

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paid to rehabilitation
of historical buildings

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and public open spaces.

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Central Market, Petaling
Street, and Masjid Jamek

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are some of the examples
of rehabilitated areas

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This effort promotes walking
and makes the city center

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a more attractive
and livable place.

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So how can city governments
in developing countries,

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such as Malaysia, encourage
compact development

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and tackle the issue
of urban sprawl?

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Here are some of the key
strategies to be adopted.

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Strategy number one--
urban planning authorities

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in the metropolitan
region should establish

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growth boundaries
for their cities,

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and development should be
allowed only within the city

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boundary to intensify
development and use

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land more efficiently.

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Strategy number two-- the
proposed policies of one agency

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need to be planned
and implemented

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in coordination with the
relevant federal, state,

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and local government
departments.

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The 2006 National Urban
Policy of Malaysia

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emphasized the need for setting
urban growth limits for each

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of its cities and towns.

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However, this has yet to
be translated into practice

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because of lack of
implementation of policies

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by the concerned state and
local level planning agencies.

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Strategy number
three-- the practice

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of building new
expressways should

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be discouraged as it promotes
sprawl along the highways.

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Instead, heavy
investment should be

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made in intracity and
inter-region rail services that

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help control sprawl and
make compact development

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sustainable.

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Similarly, increased taxes
on new cars, parking fees,

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and a road user tax for cars
entering the city center

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could help reduce the increase
in private vehicle ownership.

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Regulating measures such as
a ban on single occupancy

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cars in the city
center could be used

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to avoid traffic congestion
and discourage car ownership.

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Strategy number four-- special
measures discussed earlier

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also need to be complemented
by incentives, fees,

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and regulatory policies.

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Incentives could be provided
for mixed-use development,

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multi-story buildings,
and for the preservation

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of historic buildings.

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However, along with
increasing building density,

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utmost attention
needs to be paid

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to provision of sufficient
public open spaces and parks

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with equal distribution
within the city.

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It also needs to be ensured
that open space and public park

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facilities should be accessible
to all residents of the city

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within walking distance in
order to make cities attractive

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and livable places.

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In conclusion, urban sprawl
is an undesirable phenomenon

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taking place in
most of the cities,

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especially in
developing countries.

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It is a threat to
sustainable development

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as it causes a number
of problems in cities.

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The blight of urban
sprawl can be controlled

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by pursuing a compact
development approach that leads

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to making cities sustainable.

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