The rapid and uncontrolled haphazard urbanization is a serious threat to the manmade and natural environment and the socio-economic balance of our time. There is a global concern that urbanization must be oriented in responsible, sustainable, and livable urban forms. High quality of sustainable urban design plays a key role in creating these sustainable living environments. In this regard, learning from culture and history and searching together are vital for new ways of designing. In this paper, the evolution of the settlements with respect to sustainable urban design in past, present, and future is analyzed. The study indicates that we had sustainable urban design in pre-industrial period in an organic way; however, we altered the existing ecosystems by welcoming incompatible technological elements; elements that cause a kind of ill growth similar to cancer. In this relation, a case study of urban environmental design for Darabad River Valley in Tehran as a sustainable urban design project is presented brie y. Finally, it is concluded that we should know that designing is a kind of altering the systems. A comprehensive wise and conscious approach similar to what we have used in Darabad River Valley project is suggested for similar situations.