URBAN DESTINIESGLOBAL TRAJECTORIES AND EMERGING VISIONS…
By: Manisha Balani (UD/588)Presented On: 18/05/2013Master of Arch. (Urban Design) Fourth SemesterCourse: City FuturesHeaded By:
Arunava DasguptaMriganka Saxena
LATIN AMERICA
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
STUDY AREA
CARACAS
ROSARIO
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
SUB-REGIONS: FourCOUNTRIES: 42
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX -2011
• VERY HIGH HDI 1. Chile (0.805)2. Argentina
• HIGH HDI 1. Uruguay2. Cuba3. Mexico4. Panama5. Costa Rica6. Venezuela7. Peru8. Ecuador9. Brazil10. Colombia (0.710)
MOST COUNTRIES LIE IN THE VERY HIGH OR HIGH RANGE OF HDI –HDI
GREATER THAN 0.7
PRESENT
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
GINI INDEX -2009PRESENT
• GINI Index –Inequality adjusted HDI• Shown information is based on 1989 -
2009 data estimated by CIA• Out of first 30 countries with highest GINI
Index value, 15 countries are from Latin America and these countries are only after few African countries.
• Order on the World List6. HAITI8. HONDURAS10. BOLIVIA11. COLOMBIA12. GAUTEMALA13. BRAZIL16. BELIZE17. SURINAME19. PARAGUAY20. CHILE
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDPAST
Before 16th Century -Indigenous People (Mayans, Incas, Aztecs)16th – 18th Century -Colonial rule for more than two centuries -Mostly Spanish and Portuguese speaking countriesEarly 19th Century -Wars of IndependenceBy 1825 -Most Latin American countries
independentPostcolonial 19th Ce -Wars on National Borders -Disputes over Power -Society was considered to be ill-
prepared for democracy -Emergence of Dictatorships and
Oligarchies (Wealthy Elite or Military Chiefs)
-Land ownership overtaken by the rich19th Cen Economy
-Development of Wealthy Elite -Resulted in a sizable gap between the
rich and the poor
GREAT BRITAINFRANCE
USA
LATIN AMERICA(Vital Source of Raw
Materials)
FINANCIAL INVESTMENT
EXPORT ECONOMIES
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDPAST
19th Cen Economy -ECONOMY LED URBANISATION -Emergence of Cosmopolitan Centres like Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro20th Century WW era -Great Economic Depression –Abrupt end to the inflow of foreign capital –Drastic decline in the price of the region’s exports
1945 (WWII) -1960s -Cold War Era -Communism expanded -Cuban Revolution -Emergence of Cuba as Communist State (FIDEL CASTRO) -Soaring Economies –Huge sums of money borrowed from International Creditors
1970s -Leftist governments emerged –inspired by the Cuban Communist Regime. -More support for military dictatorship to avoid a communist threat.
1980s -LATIN AMERICAN DEBT CRISIS ECONOMIC GROWTH UNEMPLOYMENT
INDUSTRIALISATION(Consumer Goods)
Export of Raw MaterialsForeign Imports
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDPAST
1980s Latin American Debt Crisis –AFTER EFFECTS• Children and young adults -forced to join -DRUG TRADE & PROSTITUTION.• Problems like HOMICIDES AND CRIME appeared –Made these countries UNDESIRABLE PLACES TO
LIVE. FINANCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL SECURITY
1989: IMF proposed the package –TEN ECONOMIC POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS Adoption by nation-states SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
1990s: Emergence of LEFT-WING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS
IMFINTERNATIONAL
MONETARY FUND
LATIN AMERICA
FOR UNPAID DEBTS
FORCED TO ADOPT FREE MARKET CAPITALISMAUSTERITY PLANS
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
FIGURESPRESENT
As per Cities Alliance 2010 data,
50% OF WORLD’S POPULATION LIVES IN CITIES OUT OF WHICH MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THIS URBAN POPULATION (33%) IS LIVING IN SUBSTANDARD
SETTLEMENTS UNDER PRECARIOUS HOUSING CONDITIONS.
In Latin America, by contrast, 78% of its population lives in cities (446 million ppl) with 23.5% of this urban population living in favelas and corticos (105 million ppl).
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
POPULATION DENSITYPRESENT
Map giving an idea how 78% of the region’s population lives in cities.
Percentage of slum population in various cities varies drastically from the region’s average like:
Sao Paulo, Brazil (25%)
Mexico City, Mexico (25%)
Lima, Peru (55%)
Caracas, Venezuela (60%).
Increasing
Population Density Map
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
PHYSICAL LAND FEATURESCONTRIBUTING FACTOR
Physical Map
Presence of major physical features in the region which are ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS AND HENCE NOT URBANISABLE.
AMAZON RIVER BASIN –World’s largest rainforest.
PANTANAL –Largest freshwater Wetland System
ANDES –Mountain Range
PATAGONIA –Steppe-like plains with Jagged Granite mountains & giant Glaciers carving through these mountains –Also known as the ‘End of the World!’
BACKGROUND STUDY
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
MIGRATIONCONTRIBUTING FACTOR
Gradual increase in MIGRATION OUT OF RURAL AREAS:• Land ownership overtaken by the wealthy elite.• Further land reforms in 1992• Abolishment of Ejido system of Communal land holdings –cornerstone of indeginous and peasant
rights.• Land open for sale to foreign investors.• Made it harder for farmers to eke out a living and easier for them to sell land.
BOOMING ECONOMIES:
Migration Trends
• Countries like Brazil, Argentina and Chile booming, on the economic front –Hubs of Finance and Technology.
OLYMPICS 2016:• Large infrastructure
developments -High rate of influx of qualified prof. from all over the world due to job opportunities.
• Lack of Career mobility in developed nations
ACHIEVEMENTS & ISSUES
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
ACHIEVEMENTS• MIDDLE STRATA OF LATIN
AMERICAN SOCIETY EXPANDED greatly by the late 20th century.
• GREAT BUSINESS CENTRES -large metropolitan areas —MEXICO CITY & SÃO PAULO.
• With social and economic modernization came changes, too, in gender relations. WOMEN ACHIEVED FULL LEGAL EQUALITY WITH MEN gradually –TWO NEW FEMALE PRESIDENTS IN COSTA RICA AND BRAZIL.
• ETHNIC MINORITIES ALSO SOUGHT GREATER OPPORTUNITIES and respect from society at large.
SERIOUS CONCERNS• FUTURE OF OVERPOPULATED MEGA-CITIES like Sao Paulo, Rio
de Janeiro, Mexico City etc, is a major concern –MOBILITY & HOUSING in these cities is a big issue.
• Progress toward reducing historically high levels of SOCIAL INEQUALITY & POVERTY still remains disappointing –Large sections of society have POOR LIVING CONDITIONS.
• CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION and PUBLIC SECURITY are important issues for governments –HOMICIDE RATES IN LATIN AMERICA ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD.
• MIGRATION TO THE USA and more economically developed countries like BRAZIL AND ARGENTINA –In parts of northern Latin America, EMIGRATION to the more prosperous and politically stable US began happening by the end of the 20th century. By 21st century, this trend has changed and along with USA, other magnets are towards the south i.e. Sao Paulo, Rio (Brazil) or Buenos Aires (Argentina) and other prospering nations.
• Great Business Centers but POOR CENTERS OF HUMAN CAPITAL• CONSTANT COMPETITION with other developing nations
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
NEW VISIONS FOR MOBILITY NETWORK PLANSOver-populated cities facing serious issues of mobility in the city are looking for alternative means of
transportation systems that are more user-friendly and environmentally efficient.
RISE OF THE INFORMAL CITY –NEW WAYS OF INTERVENING IN THE INFORMALNew directions in research believe favelas are a place for urban renewal, as a growing pool of
innovation in terms of self-organization, association and strategic ingenuity.
DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL HUMAN CAPITAL BY BRINGING FOCUS TO OTHER POTENTIALS OF THE REGION OTHER THAN JUST BUSINESS ACTIVITYTourism and Recreation being the central idea behind hosting Olympics 2016.Adoption of Urban Agriculture in various cities to provide for the rural migrants.
EXPANSION OF SECOND-TIER CITIES TO COPE WITH MIGRATIONRegion has large pockets of environmentally sensitive areas –Hence urban expansion plans following sustainable development models to be minimally invasive
CONTEXT
COUNTRY: Venezuela
SCALE: 100 hectares
CLIENT: Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas CONSULTANT: Urban-Think Tank
BUDGET: $18 million USD
STATUS: Complete & Functional by 2010
PROJECT PROFILE:Project designed a Cable Propelled Transit System linking two barrios with Caracas’s public transit system. The plan also calls for ‘plug-in’ buildings –attached to each station housing cultural & recreational programs -Radical departure from official planning strategy to link the barrios to the city by creating new surface streets –Which lead to loss of many dwellings.
Mobility & Community Development Plan, San Agustin, Caracas
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
• 60% of the city’s 5 mil population lives in Barrios –informal settlements.• Some Caraqueños, pay more for a litre of drinking water than a gallon of
petrol. • Hills surrounding the city centre of Caracas have long been the sites of
barrios populated by poor, rural migrants. • Due to their illegal status, these areas have never been formally
connected with public transit or other civic services. • Result: Seemingly inexorable social divide between two parts of the city.
Barrios, San Agustin(Informal Settlements) Skyscrapers in the city
Existing Urban Form
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
BACKGROUND
CARACAZO –The Caracas Outbreak, 1989
1989: Then President Pérez proposed to implement free-market reforms in his second presidential term (1989–1993).
Pre-election scene: Perez ran a populist, anti-neoliberal campaign which was against the IMF and the World Bank.
Post-election scene: Cooperation with the IMF rather quickly after his victory.
Most controversial part of this economic package: ELIMINATION OF THE GASOLINE SUBSIDIES.
Result: Rise in gasoline prices by as much as 100%, and subsequently, the costs of public transportation rose by 30%.
CARACAZO: Protests and rioting began in towns near-by Caracas due to increase in transportation cost to Caracas.
Result: Death toll of hundreds of people with some reports of 3,000 dead mostly at the hands of security forces.• STATE OF EMERGENCY and Suspension of rights to liberty and freedom of expressionConsequence: Political instability. 1993: –Impeachment of President Pérez for corruption –Collapse in confidence in the existing parties.1998: HUGO CHÁVEZ elected President, and the subsequent launch of a "Bolivarian Revolution” –New Constitution of
Venezuela. 2003: Launch of the ‘MISIONES’ for social development.
HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES –Focus on ‘BARRIOS’
Public Seminar at the Central
University of Venezuela, Caracas
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
San Agustin Barrio
• Due to the steepness of the neighbourhood, a large number of stairs are included in the pedestrian paths.
• On average the inhabitants would walk 39 floors each day (2.5 hour walk) to get to communal services or transportation.
• Early 2000s –Physical development –Government proposed a new highway to connect the barrio with the city roads, introduce bus routes and allow car movement within the barrio.
• Result –Would lead to demolition of a number of households in the neighborhood.
• U-TT Proposal –No to the Car –CAR FREE CITY
To question the government plan and to
put forth alternativesCreation of a Task
Force: U-TT together with
barrio residents
Selection of a Cable Propelled Transit System –that had greatest potential
URBAN-THINK TANK’S APPROACH:
One-day Charrette with the task force
Analysis, planning, media campaign and Presentation To refine the
concept
To build support and funding for the project.
METRO CABLE SYSTEM PLAN
Suited to the terrain, minimally and selectively invasive of the
existing fabric, highly sustainable and flexible
IDEA & APPROACH
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SYSTEM
CITY LEVEL METRO NETWORKBARRIO LEVEL CABLE CAR SYSTEMCITY LEVEL BUS NETWORK
FIVE STATIONS• THREE along the MOUNTAIN
RIDGE• TWO in the VALLEY -connect
directly to the Caracas public transportation system.
• CENTRAL PARK STATION -One station in the valley connects to the City Metro.
• SAN AGUSTIN STATION –Another station in the valley that connects to the City Bus network.
LENGTH of the network -2.1 kmCAPACITY of each gondola –10
passengers each –8 sitters and 2 standees
CAPACITY of the system -3000 pphpd (persons per hour per direction)
JOURNEY TIME: 20 minutes than 2.5 hours
SAN AGUSTIN
CENTRAL PARK
Overall Map of Cable Car System
LA CEIBAEL MANGUITO
HORNOS DE CAL
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT –PLUG-IN BUILDINGS
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS: • Cultural, social and system administrative functions; • Replacement of demolished residences with more homes, as well as public spaces; • Vertical Gym• Library• Supermarket and day care centre;
Construction on this plug-in building adjacent to LA CEIBA Station has started.
Verti
cal G
ym &
Lib
rary
at L
A CE
IBA
Stati
on
Gro
win
g H
ouse
nea
r EL
MAN
GU
ITO
Sta
tion
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
Hornos de Cal Station –that connects to Central Park Station
El Manguito Station
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
JOINT VENTURE: Between the State (Ministry of Infrastructure), Austrian aerial lift manufacturer Doppelmayr and the Brazilian company Odebrecht were all responsible for the construction of the system. FINANCE: Completely financed by the State through funds from Oil ProduceDEVELOPMENT COST:
• Total Cost - $265 million USD • Cost of the Transit System - $18 million USD• Additional expenses were spent on community centre facilities and land expropriation costs that were
separate from the transit system itself.FARE SYSTEM:
• 2000 bs –Existing buses that go down the hill• 500 bs –Metro Cable Car One-side fare
Vertical Gym under Construction
CONSTRUCTION:Compact & mostly modular stations –built of prefabricated concrete and steel components —can be deployed & easy to erect even in the densest of neighbourhoods.
RESULT: Government is not intimidated by the very high cost of the project.
• One of the first of its kind in Venezuela• A tentative and experimental process. • Cost of future similar projects expected
to be more efficient.
COUNTRY: Venezuela
Expansion Plan, Metro System, Caracas
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
SCALE: City-level
CLIENT: Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas
CONSULTANT: Urban-Think Tank
STATUS: Phase 2 –Under Construction (4.84 km length of CPT System)
PROJECT PROFILE:Expansion of the city –level network of Metro Rail along with addition of nine more lines of CPT System to connect various barrios in the city to the Public Transport System.
San Agustin Metro Cable Network
CONTEXT
COUNTRY: Venezuela
SCALE: 3500 people45-storey towerCLIENT: Squatters of CaracasCONSULTANT: Urban-Think Tank
STATUS: Complete & Exhibited at 13th Venice Architecture Biennale 2012 AWARD: Golden Lion award, Venice Biennale, 2012PROJECT PROFILE:The project is a study project that investigates physical and social organization of an informal settlement of 750 families (about 3500 people) in a 45-storey incomplete office tower in absence of any form of formal infrastructure.
Informal Vertical Communities, Torre David, Caracas
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
• Torre David, a 45-story skyscraper in Caracas, built as the headquarters of the Confinanzas Group during the economic boom of the 90s has remained uncompleted after the company went bankrupt in 1994 during the economy collapse.
• Ownership of the tower -put into question –Since 2000, the tower suffered looting and decay.
• Public take-over culminated with the occupation of the tower by more than 3,500 people in 2007.
Torre David
Torre David amidst other skyscraper offices of the city
IS IT A SLUM?CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICAElevation –Brick parapet walls visible
Definition according to UN-HABITAT: is based primarily on lack of certain amenities1. Lack of durable housing of permanent
nature that can protect against extreme weather conditions.
Does not apply. Largely sheltered by the permanent structure of the building as-well as the walls built by themselves.
IS IT A SLUM?CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICAWATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Definition according to UN-HABITAT: is based primarily on lack of certain amenities2. Lack of access to water and sanitary
facilities. Does not apply. Residents have water
connections (in regulated quantities) and their own toilets.
Main Water Tank at Level 18 Pumped up till Level 28
3. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions.
Does Apply. Illegal occupation4. Over-crowding i.e. 3 or more persons
sharing one room Applies to some extent since there
are units which fit this. However, there are also apartments
which are spacious and allow individual privacy.
5. Lack of access to public transport Does not apply. Sits in the city
centre.
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
6. Lack of hygiene and safety Does not apply. Highly efficient
system of self-organistion.
IS IT A SLUM?
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
STAIR-WELL: used for VERTICAL MOVEMENT
LIFT WELL: used for INFRASTRUCTURE
CIRCULATION DIAGRAM
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
REALITY
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
REALITY
MOSTLY INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND SLUMS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE FORMAL PLANNING PROCESS ON GROUNDS OF ‘ILLEGAL OCCUPATION’
BUT
‘SLUM’ DOES NOT REALLY DEFINE TORRE DAVID!
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
PROPOSAL BY URBAN-THINK TANK
With a few fixes like mainly:
• PROVISION OF A MORE COMFORTABLE VERTICAL MOVEMENT SYSTEM
• PROVISION OF AN OPEN SPACE STRUCTURE
CALL FOR ACTION: To see in informal settlements a POTENTIAL FOR INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION, with the goal of PUTTING DESIGN IN SERVICE TO A MORE EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
PROPOSAL BY URBAN-THINK TANK
IS THIS A NEW DIRECTION FOR INFORMAL COMMUNITIES??
IF THIS MODEL IS SUCCESFUL IN CARACAS, CAN THIS BE SUCCESFUL ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD??
WITH A FEW INTERVENTIONS NEEDED TO FIX THE MISSING LINKS IN A WORKING SYSTEM LIKE THIS, SHOULD THAT BE DONE OR SHOULD THIS NEVER BE FORMALISED BECAUSE IT IS SO CALLED ‘ILLEGAL OCCUPATION’?
COUNTRY: Argentina
SCALE: District Level
CLIENT: City of RosarioCONSULTANT: Fadi Masoud and Mariusz KlemensSTATUS: Academic Proposal, Doctoral Program, Harvard Graduate School of DesignPROJECT PROFILE:Proposal for subdivision and transformation of agricultural lands to suburban decentralized developments on the basis of micro-watersheds.
Urban Subdivisions by Watersheds, Rosario
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
• Urban development along the sprawling westward urban border of the city.
• Project deals with one of the most pressing issues facing contemporary designers and planners: Relationship between agrarian conditions, natural processes and patterns of urbanization
• Bracketed by two small rivers marking the north and south limits of the city, the site for this project has been newly defined by the Urban Plan Rosario 2007-2017 as the New Strategic Territorial Front
• Project plans Urban Subdivisions using existing micro-watersheds on site and identifying most suitable areas for development and urban agriculture.
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
ROSARIO -BACKGROUND
ROSARIO
PAMPASPARANA RIVER
ARGENTINA
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
• To combat high degree of UNEMPLOYMENT, POVERTY,SOCIAL EXCLUSION
NEW FORMS OF PRODUCTION IN THE “SOCIAL ECONOMY”• Rosario Municipality launches two
consecutive programmes in past two decades:1) Crecer (“to grow”), established in 1997
to contribute to the development of community and family kitchen gardens, in which 18.000 families are involved at the moment; and
2) Urban agriculture, created in 2002 to promote the social integration of male and female members of vulnerable families, through participatory and collaborative forms of production, commercialisation and consumption of healthy food obtained with environmentally sound techniques (almost 800 gardens, created with this purpose, have been registered since the beginning of the programme).
BACKGROUND
Rosario Urban Plan, 2007 -2017
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
APPROACH• Bracketed by two small rivers marking the north and south limits of the city, the site for this project
has been newly defined by the URBAN PLAN ROSARIO 2007-2017 as the New Strategic Territorial Front.
• the project targets the most vulnerable edge of an expanding city and speculates on its potential growth through integrated responsive environmental and urban typologies.
• The parcelization of the land for the building of new suburban subdivisions, does not take into account the extreme hydro-dynamics of these seemingly flat agricultural lands.
• The design process started by analyzing particular elements of the environmental, infrastructural and socio-economical context of the city.
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
Natural Drainage pattern that runs along and through the site
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
Drainage lines used to sub-divide land and generate urban form that maintains those lines
CITY & PROJECTS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
CITY & PROJECTS
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CITY & PROJECTS
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CITY & PROJECTS
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CITY & PROJECTS
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CITY & PROJECTS
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FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
GLOBAL SOUTH>> LATIN AMERICA
FUTURE OF THE WORLD CITIES WILL BE INFORMAL!
New urban form developed propagates that the informal can be incorporated within the formal without changing the nature of the informal.
New ways of intervening in informal settlements to promote social development along with physical development
Identification of new directions in the growth of informal settlements and Appropriation of the same within the formal planning
Inclusion of the ingenuity and creativity of the informal settlements within urban governance to create a city that is open for multi-cultural coexistence and sustainable life-styles.
FUTURE OF THE WORLD CITIES LIES IN SUSTAINABILITY
New identity to the relationship between agrarian conditions, natural processes and patterns of urbanization –Sustainable Urabn Development Model