Example Of Essay On Extended Definition Or Instructions: Urban Planning

Introduction

Urban planning plays a unique role in the development of towns and cities. Indeed, failure to plan effectively for the growth and expansion of cities can have adverse effects not only to the environment but also to the people. The purpose of this paper is to define and identify the importance of urban planning to the communities. In addition, it explores various modes of Urban Planning which have been successfully implemented in various cities. In addition, it considers how an urban planner can develop the cities and regions based on some of the modern urban planning models. My hope is that this information will be of importance to the people of my city, mayor’s office, city consul, and all people who may be interested in this subject.

Definition of urban planning

Urban planning deals with creating efficient space and places for current and future generations. Urban planning ensures that the spaces are healthful, efficient, appealing, and creative in their set up. Urban planning is also referred to as city or regional planning. According to Steiner et al.regional, planning involves the arrangements for infrastructural developments which cover geographical areas transcending the boundaries of the individual government units. Precisely, these units share various features defined by transportation. Indeed, these qualities include the social, political, cultural economic and natural resource-based factors (Steiner et al, 2012). Thus, urban planning is about technical and governmental methods of how we can develop the zoning of the city, transportation, water system, land use, and infrastructure. All the works we do is about how we can create attractive places and make the communities more convenient by focusing on equitable practices. Planning, therefore, involves the whole community in adding meaning to their living, the community members involved include civic leaders, community members, the government and other local leaders.

The Stakeholders in urban planning: Where developing comes from

Urban planning is done by civic leaders and elected leaders together with the local community. Urban development originates with businesses, government, local citizens, and the local and foreign investors. Due to the endless possible ways of using space, it is essential that a plan be put in place to ensure good management of space and that development takes place in sustainable and environmentally appropriate fashion. The local authorities therefore involve certified planners to come up with plans for the localities.

Modern Methods of urban planning: What are the ways that can develop a city.

The rise of technology has brought new improved methods of planning. For example, the rooftop gardens are a German innovation towards city planning developments. Ideally, the rooftop gardens are landscapes intended for human interaction. Notably, they are designed to conform to the requirements of heavy loads. The City of Chicago has successfully installed the rooftops. Apparently, they have installed it in the City Hall (Steiner et al 2012).

Importance of urban planning: How urban planning is important to us

Urban planning is important since it helps us to effectively use the space that we have. It also ensures that we do not destroy the environment through our urban developments. It ensures that the health of the inhabitants is not compromised. It is also important in ensuring that developments keep the towns and cities appealing.
Urban planning helps to reduce the pollution especially in the residential areas. Accordingly, good urban planning ensures proper waste management in the towns and cities. Urban planning also provides a good framework for future development from the government and the private developers. Urban planning is an excellent avenue for accessing vital information about modern City plans. As well, urban planning ensures proper coding and location of buildings. Ideally, this promotes efficiency in the collection of revenue and response to emergencies such as fire and disasters.

Countries which have successfully implemented urban planning

Several countries have successfully implemented efficient urban planning methods in unique ways. For instance, Germany has successfully implemented the green rooftops. Ideally, these roofs include several layers of protective material such as root barrier, the waterproof membrane and drainage layers. Notably, the green rooftops are a combination of vegetation, architecture, and hydrology (Steiner et al 2012).
Britain, France, and Ireland have continued to develop plans for the administration of the lower tier urban development bodies. Indeed, these efforts have promoted the re-Organisation of the government structures and relationships between the City planners and the implementing bodies in many eastern European countries (Newman & Thornley 2002).

Factors to consider in Urban Planning

Urban planning must consider various factors. For instance, it must consider the population growth rates of the city in question. Indeed, this helps the planners to take a futuristic approach to planning. The existing population increase rates help determine and re-focus the infrastructural developments.
Planning must also consider the economic patterns in the country. Thus, it should consider issues such as access to the raw materials, their cost, and rates of appreciation. As well, this point includes the land rates, governmental projections, and development plans. Indeed, these considerations will assist significantly in coming up with a suitable plan.
As well, urban planning must consider the natural disasters. Obviously, natural disasters pose a severe threat to towns and cities. In the recent past, disasters such as the Tsunami and the Hurricane Katrina have devastated many towns and cities. Thus, it is crucial for the Urban planners to ensure they have adequately considered the element of disaster. According to Steiner et al., City planners must ensure they have proper mechanisms for identifying hazards, assessing the risks, and mitigating the opportunities. For insatnce,the Federal Government of the US requires city dwellers and communities to chart flood mitigation plans for them to get access to the governments disaster management grants (Steiner et al 2012).

Application: How other cities can help improving my city

There are many lessons which I can learn from other cities which are of benefit to my city. For instance, the City planners of Toronto have unveiled a plan called POPS to boost its urban development. Ideally, POPS is an acronym for Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space. The idea is to expand public places such as parks and resting areas in the densely populated areas. POPS involves continuous negotiations between the City planners and the private developers to include POPS in their development application and review process. Indeed, this move aims to increase and protect the publicly secured open areas (City Planning).
Residential types of urban development can be of good use in city planning and development. There are two primary types of residential planning, the single family units and the multi-family units. The single family units fall into two major categories, the detached units and the attached units. The former involves units which are physically separated from the units that are close to them. On the other hand, the single attached family units are houses which share the walls and the units close to them (Steiner et al 2012).
The multifamily units fall into three major categories, the low-rise, high-rise and the mid-rise units. Primarily, these categories come because of the number of stories for the building. They share common areas both horizontally and vertically. For instance, the multi- level family high-rise buildings share walls with the horizontally and vertically close units. Notably, they can go up to 12 to 50 levels (Steiner et al 2012).

Conclusion

Thus, urban planning plays a crucial role in the development and wellbeing of the towns. Therefore, urban planners, the government, and the community should come together and chart out measures and plans to ensure the adherence to the codes of quality urban development.

References

Newman, P., & Thornley, A. (2002). Urban planning in Europe: international competition, national systems, and planning projects. New York: Routledge.
Steiner, F. R., Butler, K., & American Planning Association. (2012). Planning and urban design standards. John Wiley & Sons.