Urbanisation control lab: Icelandic perspective on urban planning for rapid urbanisation

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation is one of the world's current challenges, especially in developing countries and particularly, given the shift from rural to predominant urban societies. Thus, urban planning has an important role to play in presenting answers that guarantee positive outcomes from this growth. This research explores the possible solutions that are suitable for addressing rapid urbanisation, through literature review and using Reykjavik as a case study. The evaluation criteria derived from the literature is applied to Reykjavik's current Municipal Plan and to a local plan – Vogabyggd Project. The results indicate that Reykjavik is a positive example of incorporating rapid urbanisation in its planning processes and highlights its contribution to other contexts, when perceived as a controlled lab that tests and refines its urban policies within an internal focus of urban life improvement.