Introduction to Urban Planning - Essay Example

Introduction to urban planning Comprehensive planning refers to the attempt made, towards the establishment of directives to guide the short and the long-term growth of an urban area or a community – it is usually more focused on guiding the long term development. Like the term comprehensive implies, the planning model is all-inclusive, in its approach towards addressing the future growth of the community. The document produced by the stakeholders involved in the comprehensive planning process is called the comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan document is formal and official in nature, mainly because it is developed for the adoption of local governments and other agencies, as models for law and legal principles. After the document is endorsed by these agencies and local governments, it serves as a policy guide-tool, which is used as a reference source during community development planning and strategizing. According to experts in the field of comprehensive planning, the major principles observed while doing comprehensive planning include that it is a tool used by the leaders of communities. This tool is used during the establishment of policies and when making the necessary decisions related to physical development programs. For the comprehensive plan to be considered comprehensive and all-encompassing, it should meet the following basic requirements: 1) it should explore the issues in a comprehensive manner 2) it should focus on the long-term outlook of the community 3) it should be general in nature 4) it should emphasize on the area of physical development 5) it should establish connections between design models, social and economic policies as well as the goals of the community 6) it should be characteristically, a policy tool and a technical tool at the secondary level. 2. In urban planning, planning for the future refers to the planning done in the different focal areas of urban planning. One of the main roles of planning for the future is that it offers information, leads to the development of plans and guides the development of policies that will serve urban areas in the best way possible, depending on the current and the future needs of the urban area or community. The planning for the future is also important, because it recommends actions that are more likely to offer the best changes and lead to the development of the best needs of the people of the urban area. The focus of future planning, for example, for the field of urban transport project the changes in the needs of urban dwellers, so as to offer or plan for the development of fiscally-responsible and compact urban growth. In the field of urban transport planning, the realization of the goals of planning for the future covers a wide range of projects. The future planning of the transport network of an urban area for the next 10, 20 or 30 years will feature the following projects: 1) determining priorities for pedestrians, cyclists, transit, effective movement and the development of roads. 2) planning and formulating the functional design for the different transport infrastructure 3) formulating plans and revising application, towards offering more sustainable urban forms 4) improving the functionality of the current facilities 5) forecast future traffic needs for the urban area 6) and working cooperatively with organizations to foster the sustainability of transport systems. 3. In urban planning, city architects and engineers are educated and licensed on matters related to the health, safety and the welfare of urban dwellers. Through the education programs offered to the different agents involved in urban planning, they are educated on the ways in which their work should support the health, safety and the welfare of the current and the future dwellers of the area. For example, directives are offer information on the structural integrity and the health impacts required from building areas and buildings, which can foster the protection of the public. Areas covered under this aspect of planning include accessibility, energy efficiency, electrical systems and the materials used for development. 4. Comprehension planning diagrams are the diagrammatic models that represent the processes of comprehensive planning, for easier representation. These diagrams are developed for the different design and comprehensive planning processes, where they offer information on the processes covered under the given design planning stage. For example, during the designing of the comprehensive planning process, these diagrams can show the facilitated aspects/ steps of the process, as well as the community consensus opportunities. Case example: during the design stage of the comprehensive planning process Step 1 and 2 falls under the facilitated steps bracket. Step 1 entails the identification and the initiation of the roles of the committee and the council. Step 2 entails the initiation of the committee’s design of the community-based process, for the development of the comprehensive plan. The third step falls under the classification of community consensus activities. At this stage, the activities covered can include a community workshop for the refinement and the enhancement of the work of the comprehensive planning committee. 5. An interdisciplinary science model is characterized by an expanded outlook, regarding the facets of urban planning, where areas likely human health are regarded as determinants of the plans formulated. For example, human health forms a core aspect of the strategic planning process of comprehensive planning, and a priority for research. The goal of incorporating the study of the area are aimed at the goal of ensuring that the current and the future health needs of urban dwellers are regarded, during the planning process and in the implementation of future activities. Under the non-linear but interconnected outlook of the model with feedbacks, scoping groups reviews the health initiatives set into place, and also considering areas where the planning process can improve on the planned initiatives. The interconnected outlook which is characterized by feedbacks requires the parties involved in the planning process, to develop initiatives and to lay them in ways that are relevant for more than one area; in ways that are applicable to an interdisciplinary outlook. The non-linear but interconnected approach requires the teams involved in urban planning and implementation to develop on the synergies that are developed between the existing interests and the activities of the planning parties. Through the outlook, the different parties are more likely to add value to ongoing activities as well as those that are still at the planning stage. 6. The reconstruction and Development program (RDP) is a coherent and integrated socio-economic development model. The outlook is aimed at the mobilization of all resources and the parties involved in urban planning, towards the eradication of the problems identified now and in the future, so as to deliver the required urban planning outlook and model. Within the policy development model, the agencies engaged in the reconstruction and development program develop detailed future prospects, which guide the urban planning strategies adopted. Reconstruction and development programs entail the development of strategic alliances and consultations with different players and agencies that can offer valuable information. The information required, about the necessary reconstruction and development plans are collected from local government agencies, the residents of the urban area in question, research organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The different agents will offer feedbacks on the development models that need to be developed, and will also point out the reconstructions required for different areas and fields, so as to identify urban planning priorities and policies. The consultation processes and the joint policy development processes are held cooperatively, with other contributory agents, who are very important due to the feedbacks they offer about the status of urban development and the prospected future of the urban area. 7. During and throughout the processes of urban planning, social analysis is important, especially during the change from an industrial to a post-industrial society – which is the case of many urban areas. The new system has presented more needs for social services and it is also influenced by the changing reproduction and family inclinations. For example, unlike in the past, the role of the family as the central unit of society has changed with the changes on demographic structures. The new demographic model in many urban areas is characterized by an ageing population, where there are decreasing numbers of the newborns that are supposed to sustain urban development. For these reasons, employment and housing patterns are changing continually, which is likely to inform the activities of urban development agents – especially about future development needs. The economic changes taking place are also likely to be those oriented towards increased economic growth, and not those aimed at fulfilling social changes and conditions. For that reason, comprehensive planners and other agents involved in urban planning need to check development from the perspective of the agents that posses the economic power required to change development projects and to redirect the flow of commodities. For example, development is influenced greatly by the combined effort of the public and the private sector, although in some cases it hurts the possibilities of urban development. Further, it is important to consider the economic activity within a region, because investments or the economic base of an area can call for the development of an access road – which is a different development scope from projects like the development of public transport networks. The culture of a given area communicates, in different ways, the urban development approaches that are considered successful and the ones that many will imitate. This is largely due to the fact that the general culture is shaped by the media, among other agents – which leads to the conclusion that cultural investments shape the development of urban areas, while at the same time checking that the city performs at its highest level. 8. Like it was discussed earlier, a comprehensive plan should fulfill six requirements, including that it should be comprehensive 2) it should be futuristic 3) should be general 4) should emphasize physical development 5) should link planning to community goals and socioeconomic policies and 6) it should be policy-oriented. Taking these into account, it should be noted that the future outlook of the plan may change after the lapse of the previously foreseen future; events come up after it is developed and community goals change and policies change. This shows that the comprehensive plan should be one that can adjust and evolve with the changes mentioned, which shows that it should be an evolving document. Read More