Urban Regional Planning Strategic Management - Assignment Example

1 Transportation planning: induced demand. Think about traffic movement after some freeway constructions The term induced means that the condition is caused by a particular condition indirectly. In the context of traffic flow this term means when a highway is improved especially when its capacity is increased it results in more traffic that chooses to use this road than if the highway had not been told in first place. In economics this is known as demand elasticity (Federal Highway Administration A-1). In other words travel demand is elastic nature. Its but this elasticity is not sufficient for reconciling the conflicts created by planners, engineers and environmentalists (Federal Highway Administration A-1). There is a group that argues that transportation is to serve land uses in order to support economic activity, on the other hand there is a group claiming that whatever capacity is given to the public, is filled up soon. In the end there is no gain because the same level of congestion manifests again. This problem can be better understood by focusing on the use demand that Pacific we target it elasticity. Historically speaking demand forecasts for urban transportation planning have been largely based on exogenous variables (Federal Highway Administration A-1). These variables included population, employment, income and land use (Federal Highway Administration A-1). Once these variables are states results the case specific point estimating traffic volume in the future. In this case demand is influenced by neither the money price nor the transportation infrastructure. Exogenous variables are the sole driving force here. There is also a concept that disagrees with the notion. It claims that additional capacity stimulates the increase in demand. This notion relies on the premise that as soon as a highway is built people will come for it. This notion is based on latent demand suggesting that the willing buyers will show their demand for traveling as soon as there is an opportunity. 2 Growth management: need, difficulty, and segregation issues. Home rules and local governance. San Francisco Bay area is prospering from economic growth and is likely to show signs of population growth (Pallagst 1). The growth in population demands growth in facilities. Growth management have attracted a lot of critique and praise since it appeared as a distinct concept of planning in 1960s (Pallagst 1). The roots of this concept can be traced back to the environmental movement. It is strange to note that many growth management plans do not align with other growth promoting planning developments in the United States (Pallagst 2). By the increase urban sprawl growth management researchers have gotten real busy (Pallagst 2). To properly comprehend the concept of growth management one does not only have to go through thorough evaluation but also needs to connect with planning theories. As population grows their beliefs and barriers also grow with them. This means that racial and other certifications such problems also grow. In order to cope with such issues growth management policies are designed specifically to tackle such issues. Urban containment policies reduced residential segregation on average during the 1990s (Yin 24). The context dictates planning and development. House rules always govern the local government. Local governments cannot go against the policies and procedures set by the house. Other than a centralized monitoring body need or demand dictates growth management. The difficulty can arise due to many factors including cultural, historical or political. 3 Defense of privileges: zoning, segregation, and NIMBY issues Zoning is a controversial subject which has come under a lot of attention and scrutiny in the past 20 years. That advocates of zoning suggest that it is necessary for protecting and enhancing real estate values. They specifically talk about residential properties and homes. In theory it is a technique that protects the property owners from negative externalities of new developments. It makes sense that the zoning would protect property owners as it prevents the values from nosediving. It is not the property owners fault if a brick factory is set up right next door. However, a serious problem exists when zoning is exploited to strengthen racial segregation. But the solution to this problem does not mean ending zoning. The segregation problem can be solved with constitutional and statutory protection claims. The logic for this suggestion is that institutions of local government which includes police functions and licensing powers have exploited their authority in discriminatory ways. But this does not mean scrapping institutions and authorities. This letter can be dealt with other ways. For instance the principle of zoning should not be confused with deliberate exclusion of people. There are many ways of excluding others which include excluding by economic status, exclusion by undesirable land uses. NIMBY stands for not-in-my-backyard. Hence zoning helps the best organized and those with political influences who can block the undesirable economic activities in their regions or communities. Such an attitude is more relevant to suburban than metropolitan areas. Metropolitan cities usually give certain space for legal activities. From this perspective the act of zoning could also be justified if zoning provides a place for legal activities. 4 Structural Unemployment and why important for local economic development: local, regional and global phenomena Structure unemployment is the percentage of labor force that is unemployed structurally (Arnold 139). It is measured as number of structure in the unemployed people divided by civilian labor force. In other words it is the unemployment that arises from mismatches between employers requirements and the labor skills. It can also arise from geographical mismatch where workers and employers have a mismatched geographical location. Such unemployment is called structural because it arises out of structural economic change (Hall & Lieberman 121). This form of unemployment is usually for long-term and it is difficult to get rid of. The structurally unemployed people will need some time before they can find their job matches. For instance they need time to relocate to another area or they need some time to learn new skills (Hall & Lieberman 121). Structural unemployment is not a regional phenomenon, it is a global phenomena which reached its peak in 2008 during the recession. It is the global economy that suffered extreme case of unemployment when it was going through the financial crunch of 2008. Generally speaking structural unemployment is caused by lack of occupational mobility (Sexton 570). It reflects the dynamic dimension of an economy going through changes. The question arises why structural unemployment is important for economy. Some form of unemployment is normal. For instance structural and frictional unemployment are unavoidable in a healthy economy (Sexton 570). These unemployment forms are results of imperfection in the labor market. But eventually this form unemployment closes the gap between the workers and employers. Because it is only time and money required to bridge this gap. Be it local, regional or global economy. . 5 Describe comprehensive planning process. Think carefully about local development projects examples, if you wish. A comprehensive plan represents of the desires of the community. This form of plan is projected for the future needs. It can be a short report or might contain several volumes. A comprehensive plan needs to include geographic coverage it means that it needs to include all areas under discussion of the planning for regulatory jurisdiction of local government (Kelly 47). Excluding an area would defeat the purpose of it being comprehensive. On similar grounds it must include all subject matters that are needed for the physical development of the community. This can include but not limited to transportation, water and drainage, open spaces etc. (Kelly 47). This type of plan may be broader and might include programmatic plans such as recreation but there is a compulsory condition for it comprehensive plan to include all physical plans of the communitys future. Continuing on the same logic a comprehensive plan must include is sufficient time horizon. All the plans must be completed within the scheduled time frame. In the United States for instance the professional planners use a time horizon of 20 years for a comprehensive plan (Kelly 47). Any plan longer than that would constitute other factors that make it highly unpredictable. And plans shorter than this time horizon would not fall under the comprehensive category. A time horizon of 20 years offers the community sufficient leverage of changing some variables that can have an impact on its future. As an example the 2008 plan for Waynesboro Virginia included a statement; the objective of such a guy is to develop systems that can inform near-term and future land use decisions the citys developmental goals (Kelly 47). Such goals are not rigid, they are flexible. 6 Why is regional planning difficult? (Again, local governance issues, federal funding based on local population) Regional planning deals with the land use activities. From an institutional perspective regional planning is considered as a cuckoo in the nest between national and local levels (Dimitriou & Thompson 225). In the UK specifically it lacks the power base needed for other levels of planning. Therefore it is a contested. Between stakeholders that have several interpretations of regional planning objectives. Regional planning and development includes major projects. These projects can range from economic infrastructures like the railway lines, roads waste management facilities, as well as social infrastructures like hospitals and universities (Dimitriou & Thompson 225). The issues of local governments regarding regional planning creates a lot of conflict between the federal and local administrations. The federal funding is based on local population. Small area with more people will get more funding than a bigger area with less people. This usually creates difficulties in the table reallocating funds. Local governments make plans and projects in the wider interests of their public. However regional planning splits into two ways as there is a federal perspective and a regional perspective. A huge area where people are scattered would require many roads bridges and other civic structures. These structures require a lot of manpower and money to build. Now the location of funds is based on population therefore some areas dont qualify for such construction. The regional governments can face a dilemma because they are the ones bearing the face of the government and the people considered them responsible for not providing the facilities and regional interests. 7 Planning differences between USA and other nations (remember local control versus national planning) The context controls the planning and development. Cultural and historical factors govern the planning and execution. Regional planning focuses on the factors that immediately impact the plan. A plan that is successful in one country cannot be applied to another because of the changes in their geography, culture and history. Political factors also come into play. A short comparison of healthcare systems of the USA with other countries can describe the differences in the planning. Canada offers national health insurance program and the coverage is universal (Ridic, Gleason & Ridic, 2012). Germanys healthcare system is based on mutual aid societies which was created in the 19th century. This system is based on social insurance and embodies social solidarity (Ridic, Gleason & Ridic, 2012). It works on the notion that the government is duty bound for providing wide-ranging social benefits to all citizens. These benefits include medical care, pensions, unemployment insurance, disability payments and other forms of social welfare (Ridic, Gleason & Ridic, 2012). The United States has no single health insurance system that offers its services nationwide. Health insurance is available for sale. This insurance is available in markets. The government also sells them. Private health insurance is available everywhere through advertisements of several companies. This brief picture represents how the United States plans and how other countries plan. The United States policy is based on commercialism. The planning and development is based on business strategies. In the United States the incentive structure needs to be changed. So that the companies would want to invest in plants and equipment, this should be the governments policy (MacCormack et al. 1). But there is no universal solution context needs to define each plan. References Arnold, R. A. Microeconomics. Cengage Learning. 2013. Print. Dimitriou, H. T. & Thompson, R. Strategic planning for regional development in the UK. London: Routledge. 2007. Print. McCormick et al., Remaking America. Alliance for American Manufacturing. 2013. Print. Pallagst, Karina. Growth management in the US: Between theory and practice. Ashgate Publishing. 2012. Print. Ridic, Goran, Suzanne Gleason & Ognjen Ridic. Comparisons of health care systems in the United States, Germany and Canada. Mater Sociomed. 24(2): 112-120. 2012. Sexton, Robert. Exploring economics. Cengage Learning. 2010. Print. United States Federal Highway Administration. Highway economic requirements system - State version technical guide. DIANE Publishing. 2002. Print. Yin, Ming. Costs and benefits of state growth management programs: Evaluating their impact on sprawl and housing markets in the United States. ProQuest. 2008. Print. Read More