Conference On Technology & Sustainability in the Built Environment 17 Defining Sustainable Urbanism: towards a responsive urban design. Prof. James Stevens Lawrence Technology University jstevens@ltu.edu Prof. Philip Plowright Lawrence Technology University pplowright@ltu.edu Dr. Anirban Adhya Lawrence Technology University aadhya@ltu.edu Abstract Sustainable Urbanism is a recent term prevalent in urban design and planning. Within the contemporary metropolitan environment, it is rooted in study of sustainability and urban design in a rapidly urbanizing world. Though the terminology benefits from the debates around the definition(s) and meaning(s) of “sustainability,” it lacks a comprehensive understanding of “urban design.” This paper is an examination of sustainability peculiar to urban development and a critique of the nature of urban design delineating Sustainable Urbanism. Specific research questions are: what is sustainable urbanism, how can sustainability be defined in reference to the city, and what are the important elements of sustainable urbanism. Traditionally, urban design has been conceived as a discourse in design and has been practiced as an extension of architecture, urban planning, and civil engineering. In this prevalent paradigm, urban designers are trained as architects, planners, or engineers, each having one’s own design bias. Through a critical analysis of urban design, this paper questions the design dominance and calls for understanding synergies between technology, politics, economics, society, and environment. Distinct from this eclectic approach to urbanism, the outcome of this study is a proposed responsive model, rather than a partitioned model debating over prominence of form, policy, or efficiency. The postulated responsive urban design engages three fundamental principles of sustainability: health, place specificity, and social ethics. Such a human- oriented systems approach reflects the evolving complexity of the urban context and characterizes the uniqueness of Sustainable Urbanism.