Rethinking urban sustainability through natural protected areas: debating the compact city model in El Kala National Park, Algeria

This study critically reassesses the relevance of compact city models within ecologically fragile and spatially discontinuous contexts, using El Kala National Park in north-eastern Algeria as a case study. Despite moderate demographic pressure, the park’s environmental sensitivity challenges standardised sustainability frameworks. The research adopts an integrated methodology, combining the identification of environmental issues, analysis of urbanisation dynamics, spatial indicators, and land use land cover assessment. Findings indicate that compact urban planning can exacerbate land artificialisation and disrupt natural systems in protected areas. In response, the study introduces the concept of ‘gentle urbanisation’, advocating for dispersed, low-impact urban forms that respect ecological thresholds and landscape characteristics. Positioned between a conceptual reflection and empirical investigation, the article underscores the need for flexible, context-sensitive planning strategies to mitigate ecological disruption. While grounded in a specific territorial context, the study offers a conceptual basis for extending ‘gentle urbanisation’ principles to other environmentally sensitive protected areas.