Politics of Urban Planning - Research Paper Example

Politics of Urban Planning al Affiliation) Thesis ment The paper shows that the politics of urban planning are complicated and are influenced by a number of factors like urban planners, the community, the government and many other stakeholders. Assessing what each one wants is essential to identifying the politics of urban planning. Summary The paper aims to extensively discuss the politics of urban planning. By doing so, a number of areas are covered such as a brief introduction and historical background of the emergence of the field of urban planning, political issues relating to urban planning politics, an evaluation of contemporary issues which urban planners can encounter and consequences that may result from the decision making framework. Key concepts of urban planning have also being applied in the paper to explain the workings of urban planning more clearly and comprehensively. Introduction Evans, C. (2014). 2014 Australasian Urban History/Planning History conference: Landscapes and ecologies of urban and planning history. Planning Perspectives, 1-6. According to the author, politics plays a very fundamental role in deciding on the competing interests of the stakeholders in any urban planning project. Its role cannot be understated since it influences a number of crucial factors that determine whether the project is going to start or not. Some of the issues in urban planning that politics must mitigate include the values of the architects and planners, the values and goals of the client, the values of the staff in the state agencies and planning councils, the values of the authorities and the politics of the local community, which represent the values of the entire community. Therefore, it is not possible to separate urban planning from politics. Historical Background Oberdeck, K. (2000). From Model Town to Edge City: Piety, Paternalism, and the Politics of Urban Planning in the United States. Journal of Urban History, 508-518. The author states that the foremost urban planning conference in America was conducted in 1898, New York, where issues regarding the end goal of urban planning. Arguments were made whether it was solely about physical design or if it revolved around ensuring the comfort of the dwellers of the urban centers. The issues raised then still influence the political framework of the urban planning process. Before the 20th Century, there were only three kinds of people involved in urban planning- social workers, architects and officials from the public health department. All parties opted to approach the subject of the desired effect of urban planning differently. Bagaeen, S. (2011). Book review: Toward the Healthy City: People, Places, and the Politics of Urban Planning. Urban Studies, 1293-1295. The author argues that, for social workers, their main motive was ensuring that the urban center improved the lives of the city dwellers and therefore, advocated for utilities like parks and clean tenements to facilitate a family friendly environment. For the public health officers, they were primarily concerned with the link between social conditions and particular diseases. Therefore they were concerned with the infrastructure used in urban centers, such as water drainage systems and their effect on the spread or limitation of particular strains of bacteria/disease. The architects were simply interested in building an urban center and implementing the ideas of visionaries. Mehmood, A. (2010). On the History and Potentials of Evolutionary Metaphors in Urban Planning. Planning Theory, 63-87. The author is of the opinion that the conference marked the beginning of urban planning being viewed as an intellectual field. However, the passing of time led to the emergence of the supremacy of architecture as the foremost intellectual field in urban planning. In later years, focus began to be increasingly placed on physical space, which was epitomized by the establishment of Harvard’s School of Urban Planning. Effects from the emphasis of capitalizing on physical space led to the development of appealing cities and spaces but at the expense of the poor, who could not afford the rents of the beautiful cities. Political Issues Heathcott, J. (2013). The Promenade Plantee: Politics, Planning, and Urban Design in Postindustrial Paris. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 280-291. According to the author, politics and urban planning are intertwined in that, effects from one factor affect the other. In our current times, politics wield a very big influence on urban planning and in extension other factors like urban design. Just like a market economy, which is reliant on the forces of demand and supply, urban planning is reliant on political forces. Politics determine urban development by setting up regulations that either inhibit or facilitate urban planning and more so for property development. Politics places emphasis on two elements- protecting the interests of the public while also reconciling the varying interests of the stakeholders involved. Rao, M. (2012). Paul Davidoff and Planning Education: A Study of the Origin of the Urban Planning Program at Hunter College. Journal of Planning History, 226-241. The author states that politics, through the relevant government agencies at both local, state and federal levels, are responsible for accessing whether the outcomes of a proposed urban planning project matches with the general interests of the population. If the interests align, the government adopts measures and policies that promote the project. However, if they don’t, the government uses the same regulatory tools to inhibit or curtail the project. Therefore, the role of politicians corresponds with that of an urban planner when deciding on matters relating to development applications, controls and general planning. Matters relating to urban areas governance is increasingly becoming an area of interest due to the presence of a global economy, where economic development and planning are being used in the governance framework for interpretation. Focus is being placed on the institutional restructuring to assess the key components that limit the strategic policy making mechanism. Shin, Y. (2013). Bourdieu and urban politics: Conceptualizing a Bourdieusian relational framework for urban politics research. Planning Theory, 267-289. According to the author, the development of a framework for urban planning is subject to a number of political factors depending on the size of the project. The bigger the size of the project, the more the number of political considerations that the project is subject to, while a smaller project is subject to lesser political influences. Some of the issues that should be considered include economic goals, the geographical context of the project, infrastructural requirements, environmental issues regarding the geographical location of the project, flooding, zoning issues and neighborhood impacts. By reviewing the interests of all parties involved, a planner is better informed of the political pitfalls that he/she is to expect and how to maneuver them to achieve what he/she wants. Contemporary Issues Some of the contemporary issues regarding politics in urban planning include the use of urban land. Theoretically, urban planning pertains to deciding on the various methods that an urban center can be altered or not. Additionally, one cannot be able to alter a city without planning. However, in some instances, like in less developed countries, planning is secondary to the development of an urban center since some towns spring up from rural towns leading to the formation of dual city developments. In such circumstances, the politics influencing urban development revolve around land tenure systems, which limit the adoption of plans for urban land use. In addition, the implementation of the plans of urban land use are also affected by other factors like traditional systems of land ownership, which curtail the development of urban centers and in extension, the politics surrounding urban planning. Inheritance also plays a big role in the politics of urban planning, which makes urban planning very difficult due to the hardships encountered in acquiring land for development. Moreover, the adequate compensation of communities for land acquired for public use for instance, delays the process further, making it very hard to politically navigate such issues until all the members of the community are compensated adequately. Broto, V. (2011). Climate Change and Sustainable Development Perspectives in Construction and Planning. Urban Studies, 2905-2910. The author is of the opinion that the progressing global climate changes have affected the way that urban planning is being conducted. This is because urban landscapes develop conditions that influence air quality and human comfort. In previous times, such issues did not have any bearing on the process of urban planning, but with the aggressive stand taken by governments across the globe, coupled with climate initiatives like the Kyoto Protocol, the need for conserving the environment and considering the effects of climate changes like global warning, have influenced the politics in urban planning. This has led to the emergence of urban climatologists who influence the planning process by ensuring that planners, the public and decision makers are aware of the sensitive nature of urban climate. Laurian, L. (2013). Book Review: Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 242-244. According to the author, since planning is political, improved capacity in institutions and in the social context is going to be essential in managing the direction of urban planning politics. There is greater demand for experts on air quality, hydrology and climate before planning for an urban center. It has led to the adoption of more environmentally friendly options such as use of solar panels, which are being incorporated in many urban plans. Consequences of Decision Making Process Leidenberger, G. (2006). Review Essay: The Search for a Useable Past: Modernist Urban Planning in a Postmodern Age. Journal of Urban History, 451-465. According to the author, urban planners encounter a host of problems primarily dealing with appearance, function and structure of the urban cities/areas. However, there are other issues which influence the politics of urban planning such as small parcels of land owned by varying individuals. Due to the high cost of land, land is being subdivided into smaller parcels of land for sale, leading to the present situation where there are very many individuals with small parcels of land but who collectively, own very large portions of land in urban areas. Therefore, urban planning has become a very complicated affair for developers, since they have to consider the other owners of land and other additional fees. As a result, municipal regulation in urban planning has become a necessity in urban planning to control unwanted consequences emanating from private ownership of land. Macleod, G. (2013). New Urbanism/Smart Growth in the Scottish Highlands: Mobile Policies and Post-politics in Local Development Planning. Urban Studies, 2196-2221. According to the author, in addition to the private ownership of small parcels of land, other factors include the complications resulting from the absence of adequate political boundaries. It is mostly true for land found in the outskirts of an urban center which have been causing problems in the process of urban planning and in harmonizing efforts of political support for a project in an urban center. In non-zoned areas for example, a developer may discover that his lot is next to a petrol bunk which might hamper the development of an urban center. Environmental site irregularity is another problem arising from the process of urban planning, since every urban centers (town or city) is surrounded by unique landscapes which planners and developers must consider. Therefore, there is need to analyze the topography, soil type and texture and closeness to amenities. Furthermore, such factors influence transportation. For example, when building a railway line, a level terrain is best suited and in the absence of such a terrain, alternative methods can be used to alter the landscape, since transportation is key to economic development. Appendix The history of urban planning (building cities) is very complex and diverse. This is because despite the rather short history of urban planning as a structured profession, almost all cities display a degree of planning and design. This is especially true if an analysis of the function and layout of any city is conducted. The earliest evidence of urban planning can be traced back to man’s shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a more sedentary one. The shift led to the formation of small settlements of close social groups and family members, which in turn developed into more complex social groups and settlements. This facilitated the emergence of small towns and cities that catered for the needs of its dwellers, including storing excess food and providing security. It is worth noting that, the increase in the emergence and growth of urban settlements, the more the need to harmonize the activities of the people in the settlements and the emergence of urban planning politics. As identified before, the existence of urban centers (cities) is for the purpose of accomplishing a number of tasks .Urban centers are used as centers of commerce, production and storage. Even though the nature of the commerce or use of storage facilities has changed over the years, cities continue to serve an almost identical function. Cities are used to distribute goods produced in other areas, but the difference is in the choice of distribution channels. Nowadays, goods are mainly distributed in retail chains and stores but in yester years, the distribution channels were less formal and were mainly just market places with a variety of vendors selling their wares. A critical analysis of the workings of the urban centers reveals that the more complex urban centers become, the more planning and government supervision is required. This means that urban planning politics have become increasingly instrumental in determining the success or failure of an urban center. Nowadays, the red tape on urban planning is endless, from the officials of city hall, community groups, the local governments, private citizen groups, business associations and other numerous stakeholders who have complicated urban planning, unlike in the past where less procedures were enough. In fact, only a few hundred years ago, the main factors in urban planning was the design, which was implemented by architects, the viability of the city implemented by the health officials and the social workers to determine the livability of an urban center. Nowadays, urban planning is concerned with the maximum application of space, which has directly contributed to the growth of the field of architecture. In addition, the world has experienced this evolution through the emergence of sky scrapers across the globe, aimed at maximizing the space occupied by buildings. A good example of this analysis is China, which due to its rapid population growth rate, was forced over the years to be more economical in terms of building space. Urban planning is therefore programmed to utilize space and ensure the needs of its residents are met efficiently. In essence, the politics of urban planning have been structured to meet the growing demand for space for the growing number of city dwellers. This phenomena is not only seen in China and Asian countries, but also in other parts of the globe. The pictures below show how urban planning has evolved over the years. The first picture shows a relatively less dense city with open spaces, while the other picture of the same city reveals how urban planning has changed in twenty six years (emergence of skyscrapers). Ultimately, the changes in urban planning have been coupled with changes in the politics of urban planning, like enhanced building safety procedures. China, 1987 China, 2013 Reference List Bagaeen, S. (2011). Book review: Toward the Healthy City: People, Places, and the Politics of Urban Planning. Urban Studies, 1293-1295. Broto, V. (2011). Climate Change and Sustainable Development Perspectives in Construction and Planning. Urban Studies, 2905-2910. Evans, C. (2014). 2014 Australasian Urban History/Planning History conference: Landscapes and ecologies of urban and planning history. Planning Perspectives, 1-6. Heathcott, J. (2013). The Promenade Plantee: Politics, Planning, and Urban Design in Postindustrial Paris. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 280-291. Laurian, L. (2013). Book Review: Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 242-244. Leidenberger, G. (2006). Review Essay: The Search for a Useable Past: Modernist Urban Planning in a Postmodern Age. Journal of Urban History, 451-465. Macleod, G. (2013). New Urbanism/Smart Growth in the Scottish Highlands: Mobile Policies and Post-politics in Local Development Planning. Urban Studies, 2196-2221. Mehmood, A. (2010). On the History and Potentials of Evolutionary Metaphors in Urban Planning. Planning Theory, 63-87. Oberdeck, K. (2000). From Model Town to Edge City: Piety, Paternalism, and the Politics of Urban Planning in the United States. Journal of Urban History, 508-518. Rao, M. (2012). Paul Davidoff and Planning Education: A Study of the Origin of the Urban Planning Program at Hunter College. Journal of Planning History, 226-241. Shin, Y. (2013). Bourdieu and urban politics: Conceptualizing a Bourdieusian relational framework for urban politics research. Planning Theory, 267-289. Read More