What is urban planning

Planners shape the physical layout of cities by zoning specific areas for different types and intensity of development residential, commercial, industrial; high-rise, low-rise and working with engineers and architects to plan for the location of major public facilities, such as transportation corridors and utilities.

Planners also work to preserve and improve the spatial and visual character of places. Urban planners anticipate how a city will function and how it will look as it develops or redevelops in the future. Urban planning is about possibilities. Planners anticipate how a series of buildings will fit together aesthetically; how they will be linked to the infrastructure of streets, sewers, water lines and electricity; how will they fit into the local economy and what the demand will be for the types of services provided by the buildings that get built.

Planners also engage with community power structures to ensure the city develops in ways that produce prosperity, sustainability, and social equity.

Who are the potential users of the buildings and the spaces between the buildings? Does the entire community benefit from the development? How will users get to and from the area? How will the presence of the buildings affect the natural environment of the area? How will the development as a whole affect the neighborhood residents in terms of job opportunities, shopping options, noise, community character, and cost of living?

Finally, planners communicate. Professional planners have no legal authority to put their plans into effect. Everything a planner proposes will get done only if the planner persuades others that it is the right thing to do. Planners need to communicate in language understandable to many different types of people with different values and experiences, and planners help different groups communicate with one another. At the office, the planner reviews maps and drawings, makes calculations using tools like spreadsheets, writes memoranda and reports, and responds to inquiries from citizens, developers, and public officials.

Planners also spend time in the field, taking surveys, talking with citizens, and observing physical situations. Planners also meet with and present to planning commissioners citizens who are appointed to the planning board in the community and neighborhood groups. During major planning projects, such as a comprehensive plan or a corridor study, the planner will coordinate public meetings.

Planners work in the central cities of metropolitan area cities such as New York, Boston, Sacramento, New Orleans, and Indianapolis; they work in suburbs large and small within metropolitan areas. They also work in medium-sized and smaller cities that serve as the hub of activity for a larger rural area. There is a need for Zero-Carbon Cities which are urban areas powered by renewable energy techniques and technologies.

A zero-carbon city runs entirely on renewable energy; it has no carbon footprint and will in this respect not cause harm to the planet. Most cities throughout the world produce energy by burning coal, oil, and gas, unintentionally emitting carbon. Almost every activity human does involve burning one of these fossil fuels. To become a zero carbon city, an established modern city must collectively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to zero and all practices that emit greenhouse gases must cease.

It can be achieved by the following steps:. Green Roofs roofs with a vegetated surface and substrate provide ecosystem services in urban areas, including improved storm-water management, better regulation of building temperatures, reduced urban heat-island effects, and increased urban wildlife habitat. Just imagine if this technology was applied to every building within your city, it comes with unlimited benefits as following:. Transport has a major impact on the spatial and economic development of cities and regions.

The attractiveness of particular locations depends in part on the relative accessibility, and this in turn depends on the quality and quantity of the transport infrastructure.

In further articulating this idea, the Center for Sustainable Transportation has defined a sustainable transportation system as one that:. Depending on modern-technology we can convert current polluting transportation into an environmentally friendly one.

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Home Blog Urban Planning: definition, problems and solutions. By admin Last updated Aug 16, Urban Planning: definition, problems, and solutions Summary: Urban Planning is a large-scale concept concerned with planning and development at all levels architectural, infrastructural, ecological, economic, and even political.

What is Urban Planning simply in less than 2 minutes? Apart from this problem, some factors also complicate the task of planning as follows: a Urban Sprawl Urban Sprawl refers to the migration of a population from populated towns and cities to low-density residential development over more and more rural land which results in: Increase in Public Expenditure: They can actually play a part in the increases of public costs because these changes in infrastructures and building must actually be paid for by someone- and it is usually the taxpayers.

Increased Traffic: Populations will begin to use their cars more often, which means that there is more traffic on the roads. Environmental Issues: When you think about going out to develop these lands you will have to worry about the wildlife that lives in these lands. You will be displacing them, and it can really cause a ripple in the environment.

If in a continuous residential area where two houses walls are shared, the problem arises in such areas when one house owner is willing to renovate the house and another is not in case of deterioration.

They may develop conflict, which may turn out to be a problem in the future. Both such events are detrimental for the urban development. All these make differences in the cost of underground construction. Because planners must balance conflicting interests and negotiate deals, the work can be stressful. Planners face pressure from politicians, developers, and the public to design or recommend specific plans.

They also sometimes work against tight deadlines. Urban planners often travel to sites to inspect the features of the land. Those involved in inspecting development sites may spend much of their time in the field. Most planners work during normal business hours, but many also work evenings or weekends to attend meetings with planning commissions or neighbourhood groups. What is an Urban Planner? What does an Urban Planner do? Urban planners typically do the following: Meet with public officials, developers, and the public regarding development plans and land use Gather and analyze economic and environmental studies, censuses, and market research data Conduct field investigations to analyze factors affecting land use Review site plans submitted by developers Assess the feasibility of proposals and identify needed changes Recommend whether proposals should be approved or denied Present projects to planning officials and planning commissions Stay current on zoning or building codes, environmental regulations, and other legal issues Urban planners identify community needs and develop short- and long-term plans to create, grow, or revitalize a community or area.

Are you suited to be an urban planner?