Understanding Eco Urbanism Development Through Expert Perspectives on Drivers and Barriers

Abstract

Amid escalating environmental pressures and rapid urbanisation, eco-urbanism has emergedas an important framework for guiding sustainable urban development. This study aims toexamine built environment professionals’ awareness, perceptions, and acceptance of eco-urbanism principles and to determine the factors influencing their adoption in practice. Inthis connection, the study pursues three key objectives: (1) to assess the level of awareness, perception and acceptance of eco-urbanism among professionals from different disciplinary backgrounds; (2) to identify the major drivers encouraging the adoption of eco-urbanism principles; and (3) to determine the key barriers that hinder their effective implementation. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to professionals across planning and design, social and behavioural sciences, policy, economics, and development sectors. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, applying descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression to explore patterns, relationships, and predictive associations. The findings reveal a high overall level of awareness of eco-urbanism, particularly regarding green space integration, with more than 70% of respondents across professional groups indicating that they are “very aware” of the concept. Rapid urbanisation and population growth were identified as the most significant drivers of professional acceptance, while financial constraints emerged as the most prominent barrier to implementation. Additionally, correlation results indicate that certain demographic factors, including gender, significantly influence professionals’ attitudes toward eco-urbanism. Overall, the study provides empirical insights into professional perspectives on eco-urbanism and highlights the importance of supportive policy frameworks, financial incentives, and capacity-building initiatives to facilitate the effective integration of eco-urbanism principles in contemporary urban development.