Upload
mayowa-zacchaeus
View
250
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
1/12
WHAT IS URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING?
Urban and Regional planning (urban, city, and town planning) is a technical
and political process concerned with the control of the use of land and design of the
urban environment, including transportation networks, to guide and ensure the
orderly development of settlements and communities. It concerns itself with
research and analysis, strategic thinking, urban design, public consultation, policy
recommendations, implementation and management.
A plan can take a variety of forms including: strategic plans, comprehensive plans,
neighbourhood plans, regulatory and incentive strategies, or historic preservation
plans. Planners are often also responsible for enforcing the chosen policies.
The modern origins of urban planning lie in the movement for urban reform that
arose as a reaction against the disorder of the industrial city in the mid-19th
century. Urban planning can include urban renewal, by adapting urban planning
methods to existing cities suffering from decline. In the late-20th century the term
sustainable development has come to represent an ideal outcome in the sum of all
planning goals.
ORIGIN OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING
In the Neolithic period, agriculture and other techniques facilitated larger
populations than the very small communities of the Paleolithic, which probably led
to the stronger, more coercive governments emerging at that time. The pre-Classical
and Classical periods saw a number of cities laid out according to fixed plans, though
many tended to develop organically.
The streets of many of these early cities were paved and laid out at right angles in a
grid pattern, with a hierarchy of streets from major boulevards to residential alleys.
Archaeological evidence suggests that many Harrapan houses were laid out to
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
2/12
protect from noise and enhance residential privacy; many also had their own water
wells, probably for both sanitary and ritual purposes. These ancient cities were
unique in that they often had drainage systems, seemingly tied to a well-developed
ideal of urban sanitation.
The ancient Romans used a consolidated scheme for city planning, developed for
military defense and civil convenience. The basic plan consisted of a central forum
with city services, surrounded by a compact, rectilinear grid of streets, and wrapped
in a wall for defense. To reduce travel times, two diagonal streets crossed the square
grid, passing through the central square. A river usually flowed through the city,
providing water, transport, and sewage disposal.
The collapse of Roman civilization saw the end of Roman urban planning, among
other arts. Urban development in the Middle Ages, characteristically focused on a
fortress, a fortified abbey, or a (sometimes abandoned) Roman nucleus, occurred
"like the annular rings of a tree",[7] whether in an extended village or the center of a
larger city. Since the new center was often on high, defensible ground, the city plan
took on an organic character, following the irregularities of elevation contours likethe shapes that result from agricultural terracing.
The ideal of wide streets and orderly cities was not lost, however. A few medieval
cities were admired for their wide thoroughfares and orderly arrangements, but the
juridical chaos of medieval cities (where the administration of streets was
sometimes passed down through noble families), and the characteristic tenacity of
medieval Europeans in legal matters prevented frequent or large-scale urbanplanning until the Renaissance and the early-modern strengthening of central
government administration, as European (and soon after, North American) society
transited from city-states to what we would recognize as a more modern concept of
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
3/12
a nation-state.
Ebenezer Howard's influential 1902 diagram, illustrating urban growth through
garden city "off-shoots"
In the developed countries of Western Europe, North America, Japan, and
Australasia, planning and architecture can be said to have gone through various
paradigms or stages of consensus in the last 200 years. Firstly, there was the
industrialised city of the 19th century, where building was largely controlled by
businesses and wealthy elites. Around 1900, a movement began for providing
citizens, especially factory workers, with healthier environments. The concept of the
garden city arose and several model towns were built, such as Letchworth and
Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, UK, the world's first garden cities. These were
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
4/12
small in size, typically providing for a few thousand residents.
In the 1920s, the ideas of modernism began to surface in urban planning. Based on
the ideas of Le Corbusier and using new skyscraper-building techniques, the
modernist city stood for the elimination of disorder, congestion, and the small scale,
replacing them with preplanned and widely spaced freeways and tower blocks set
within gardens. There were plans for large-scale rebuilding of cities in this era, such
as the Plan Voisin (based on Le Corbusier's Ville Contemporaine), which proposed
clearing and rebuilding most of central Paris. No large-scale plans were
implemented until after World War II, however. Throughout the late 1940s and
1950s, housing shortages caused by wartime destruction led many cities tosubsidize housing blocks. Planners used the opportunity to implement the
modernist ideal of towers surrounded by gardens. The most prominent example of
an entire modernist city is Brasilia in Brazil, constructed between 1956 and 1960.
WHAT IS URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING ALL ABOUT
City planners figure out the best way to use the land in cities and neighborhoods.
They report on the best location for houses, stores, and parks. They try to solve
many problems, such as too much traffic and increases in air pollution. Planners
want to make sure that people can get to a bus or subway. They need to plan where
people should drive their cars and where they can park. Planners make new plans
when more people move into a community. They might tell community leaders that
they need new schools or roads. Planners are also concerned about saving thewetlands and trees. They try to find safe places for getting rid of trash.
Urban and Regional Planners develop and implement plans and policies for the
controlled use of urban and rural land, and advise on economic, environmental and
social factors affecting land use.
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
5/12
Urban and regional planners develop long- and short-term plans for the use of land
and the growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities and
the region in which they are located. They help local officials alleviate social,
economic, and environmental problems by recommending locations for roads,schools, and other infrastructure and suggesting zoning regulations for private
propertywork that requires forecasting the future needs of the population.
Because local governments employ the majority of urban and regional planners,
they often are referred to as community or city planners.
Planners promote the best use of a community's land and resources for residential,
commercial, institutional, and recreational purposes. They address environmental,economic, and social health issues of a community as it grows and changes. They
may formulate plans relating to the construction of new school buildings, public
housing, or other kinds of infrastructure. Planners also may help to make decisions
about developing resources and protecting ecologically sensitive regions. Some
planners are involved in environmental issues including pollution control, wetland
preservation, forest conservation, and the location of new landfills. Planners also
may help to draft legislation on environmental, social, and economic issues, such as
planning a new park, sheltering the homeless, or making the region more attractive
to businesses.
Planners deal with the fact that human communities are always changing. The
consequences of this change can be chaotic and destructive, or life enhancing. A
planner's task is to help communities cope with this steady growth, change, and
renewal in ways that will maintain and improve the community's quality of life.
Planners recognize the complexity of communities. As with natural environments,
human communities are strengthened by diversity. One task is to help communities
become even more diverse, broadening the variety of employment, educational,
cultural, entertainment, shopping, and housing opportunities and promoting a
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
6/12
broad range of land uses, income levels, and types of people. Another task is to help
communities deal with the clashes of interest produced by such variety and turn
these differences into a positive force for constructive change. Urban and regional
planning involves multiple disciplines and addresses cities and people, humanservices and infrastructure, fiscal issues and environmental concerns. It aims to
support the emergence of more just, efficient and sustainable cities.
Before preparing plans for community development, planners study and report on
the current use of land for residential, business, and community purposes. Their
reports include information on the location and capacity of streets, highways,
airports, water and sewer lines, schools, libraries, and cultural and recreationalsites. They also provide data on the types of industries in the community, the
characteristics of the population, and employment and economic trends. Using this
information, along with input from citizens, planners try to optimize land use for
buildings and other public facilities. Planners prepare reports showing how their
programs can be carried out and what they will cost.
Planners examine proposed community facilities, such as schools, to ensure that
these facilities will meet the needs of a growing or changing population. They keep
abreast of economic and legal issues related to zoning codes, building codes, and
environmental regulations. Planners also deal with land-use issues created by
population movements. For example, as suburban growth and economic
development create more jobs outside cities, the need for public transportation that
gets workers to those jobs increases. In response, planners develop and model
possible transportation systems and explain them to planning boards and the
general public.
Planners use computers all the time. They make reports and draw new maps
showing changes for the future. Planners use computers to record and analyze
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
7/12
information and to prepare reports and recommendations for government
executives, developers and builders. Computer databases, spreadsheets, and
analytical techniques are used to project program costs and forecast future trends in
employment, housing, transportation, or population. Widespread use ofcomputerized geographic information systems (GIS) enable planners to map land
areas, to overlay maps with geographic variables such as population density, and to
combine or manipulate geographic information to produce alternative plans for land
use or development.
Urban and regional planners often work with land developers, civic leaders, and
public officials and may function as mediators in community disputes, presentingalternatives that are acceptable to opposing parties. Planners may prepare material
for community relations programs, speak at civic meetings, and appear before
legislative committees to explain and defend their proposals.
Most urban and regional planners focus on one or more areas of specialization, such
as transportation planning, urban design, community development and
redevelopment, and land-use or code enforcement. While planners may specialize in
these, and other, areas, they are also required to keep the bigger picture in mind and
do what's best for the community as a whole.
Work environment. Urban and regional planners often travel to sites intended for
development or regulation to inspect the features of the land. Those involved in site
development inspections may spend most of their time in the field. Although most
planners have a scheduled 40-hour workweek, they frequently attend evening or
weekend meetings or public hearings with citizens' groups. Planners may
experience the pressure of deadlines and tight work schedules, as well as political
pressure generated by interest groups affected by proposals related to urban
development and land use. Sometimes different groups do not agree with the plans
for their community.
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
8/12
HOW DO YOU GET READY?
Most employers seek persons who have a master's degree in city planning or urban
design. Sometimes employers will hire persons who have worked as a planner for a
long time. A bachelor's degree is good to have when someone is looking for their
first job. Persons who are interested in becoming a city planner should take courses
in computer science and statistics.
Persons who are interested in becoming a city planner also should learn how to use
a computer.
Planners must be able to think in terms of spatial relationships and visualize the
effects of their plans and designs. They should be flexible and be able to reconcile
different viewpoints and make constructive policy recommendations. The ability to
communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is necessary for anyone
interested in this field.
Local government planning offices often hire college students to work during the
summer. Students can learn a great deal before they get their first job after they
graduate.
To become a certified planner, persons must take the right amount of classes. They
must work in a planning office and pass a test. Planners must be able to speak and
write well. They must be good at making things fit in place so that everyone can
shop, work, and go to school.
HOW MUCH DOES THIS JOB PAY?
In May 2008, urban and regional planners had average yearly wages of $62,400.
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
9/12
HOW MANY JOBS ARE THERE?
Urban and regional planners held about 38,400 jobs in 2008. Most of them worked
for local governments. Some planners work for private architecture and engineering
companies. Others work in State governments.
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?
The number of jobs for planners is expected to grow faster than the average for all
occupations through the year 2018. Most of their work will result from population
growth. Most new jobs will be in rapidly expanding communities.
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
10/12
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
11/12
The overall area plan for the reconstruction of Kabul's Old City area, the proposed
Kabul - City of Light Development
Low (auto-oriented) density suburban development near Colorado Springs,
Colorado, United States.
8/3/2019 What is Urban and Regional Planning
12/12